Han officials

Chapter 183 Chaos in Northern Province [12]

Wei Zhe heard the news about Liu Bei leaving Gongsun Zan and joining Kong Rong from Yuan Jun.

There was no way. Liu Bei was just a Sima of a separate army and was not worth the scouts' excessive attention.

If Kong Rong had not served as the Imperial Censor for a period of time and was not his colleague, Yuan Jun would not have cared.

Even the news about Liu Bei was proactively told by Kong Rong during their correspondence.

There's no way around it, Liu Bei's resume is still a bit intimidating.

Not to mention that he was a disciple of Lu Zhi and a relative of the Han royal family, just the experience of him and Wei Zhe fighting against the Yellow Turbans was quite magical.

For example, Kong Rong was a little bit skeptical.

If Liu Bei and Wei Zhe really had such a close relationship, how could they have fallen to this point?

After all, compared to Taishi Ci, Liu Bei is Wei Zhe's true fellow villager.

But now Taishi Ci has already been made a marquis, and is even an official of two thousand stones. In comparison, Liu Bei is doing so badly!
It is no wonder that Kong Rong suspected that Liu Bei was just trying to curry favor with him.

……

That day, Liaodong County Government.

After hearing Yuan Jun's words, Wei Zhe couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Haha~ Interesting!"

Did Liu Bei use him to elevate himself? Wouldn't that put him on the same level as Prince Jing of Zhongshan?

The more Wei Zhe thought about it, the more amusing it became, and he couldn't stop laughing.

Upon hearing this, Xi Zhicai frowned slightly and said, "Kong Wenju is about to be defeated."

"Oh, what does that mean?" Wei Zhe asked with considerable interest. "I heard that after Kong Wenju arrived in Beihai, he summoned the people, gathered troops for military exercises, issued proclamations, and personally wrote letters to communicate with the various prefectures and counties, planning a joint campaign to suppress the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou. He must have accomplished something."

In fact, Kong Rong did more than that. He even sent someone to invite Zheng Xuan to return home as soon as he took office.

No one knew where he got the confidence from, but he actually declared that the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou could be pacified within the year and advised Zheng Xuan to return home early.

However, Zheng Xuan was doing well in Dongshan Academy, so how could he be moved by Kong Rong's words? So he politely declined.

When Kong Rong learned about this, he was not angry. Instead, he set up a special township for Zheng Xuan in Gaomi County and named it "Zhenggong Township".

When wandering scholars from all over the country died, Kong Rong prepared coffins and burials for them. Zhen Ziran and Lin Xiaocun, both from Beihai, were both renowned for their virtuous character and died young. Kong Rong hated the thought of befriending them, so he allowed them to be sacrificed together at the county altar. This level of respect for the virtuous spread far and wide throughout Liaodong.

Xi Zhicai had naturally heard of these things, but now he spoke frankly, "Now that Beihai has been ravaged by the Yellow Turbans, it's time to mobilize our forces. However, Kong Wenju is obsessed with trivial matters. He appears to value courtesy and honor the virtuous, but in reality, he's just seeking fame. The men he prioritizes are all talented men like Zuo Chengzu and Liu Yixun, but they have absolutely no experience in military campaigns."

"This person appears to be a respectful and virtuous gentleman, but in reality he is extremely arrogant and looks down on everyone!"

Hearing him say this, Guo Yuan couldn't help but smile bitterly and shook his head.

"It's said that Kong Wenju had five inspectors executed in one day simply because taxes were delayed in being paid in Beihai. Yet, despite such harsh criminal laws, Beihai still has many corrupt officials disrupting the market. This shows how unskillful and ambitious they are!"

Hearing the two of them say this, Wei Zhe, who had originally looked relaxed, couldn't help but frown slightly.

However, he did not draw a conclusion immediately. Instead, he looked at Yuan Jun and asked, "Ziliang, what do you think of this person?"

Of all the others, only Yuan Jun had actually interacted with Kong Rong for a while. After some thought, Yuan Jun nodded with a hint of resignation, saying, "Kong Wenju is, after all, a descendant of a sage. He's certainly a bit proud. Back in Luoyang, he had disagreements with the Imperial Censor Zhao She, and this time, he resigned in anger."

After hearing this, Wei Zhe finally understood what kind of person Kong Rong was.

Isn't this just a pretentious rich second generation?

No, this... this should be considered the Nth generation of the sun.

Hiss~ From this point of view, even with the help of Liu, Guan and Zhang, Kong Rong would probably still not be able to escape his fate!

Thinking of this, Wei Zhe couldn't help but fall into deep thought while looking at the map in front of him.

There is no way. As his influence grows and the situations he changes become more and more, many historical records are no longer of much reference value to Wei Zhe.

For example, the current situation in Jizhou, Youzhou and Qingzhou has become a mess.

After a long while, Wei Zhe, who was standing in front of the map, finally came to his senses and asked, "Where is Ziyi?"

"We have entered Shanggu County, occupied Zhulu County, and issued a letter to all directions." Guo Yuan replied immediately.

"Where's Xu Ziping?"

"Dai County, Gaoliu County."

It is said that after Wei Zhe recommended Ju Guoyuan as the governor of Youzhou, it really caused quite a stir in Youzhou.

Although Xianyu Fu and others had previously taken the initiative to come to Liaodong to welcome him as the governor of Youzhou, the situation had changed.

They could accept Wei Zhe as the governor of Youzhou, but they could not accept Wei Zhe's appointment as the governor of Youzhou.

In fact, both parties know the reason.

Therefore, the "decision-making" script originally prepared by Xianyu Fu and others was abandoned without hesitation.

For example, the powerful men Zhao Du and Huo Nu of Zhuo County attacked and killed Yu Kai, the governor of Zhuo County who wanted to surrender, and established themselves as the ruler of the city.

Among them, Zhao Du proclaimed himself the prefect of Zhuo County, and Huo Nu proclaimed himself the governor of Youzhou, and called on the counties and prefectures of Youzhou to attack Wei Zhe together.

Of course, this level of unrest naturally poses no threat to Wei Zhe.

It is obvious that some people are demonstrating to Wei Zhe, trying to make Wei Zhe feel uneasy.

However, Wei Zhe did not hesitate at all and directly ordered Taishi Ci to lead the elite cavalry of the Fuli camp to the west.

In just two days, Taishi Ci successfully launched a surprise attack on Zhuo County, beheaded Zhao Du and Huo Nu, and wiped out the rebel army.

For a moment, the originally restless counties in the western part of Youzhou quickly calmed down.

After Zhong Hu led more than 10,000 infantry and cavalry west out of Liaoze, some people became more alert.

Except for a few big families in Shanggu County and Dai County who still tried to collude with Xianbei and Wuhuan to resist, most people changed their attitudes flexibly after seeing Wei Zhe's murderous intentions.

Wei Zhe had originally planned to wait until Youzhou was pacified before moving to Ji County at a leisurely pace, but now it seems that this is no longer possible...

(End of this chapter)