Han officials

Chapter 248 A Subject Chooses His Master [12]

On the day of Jiwei in June, Wei Zhe finally returned to Ji County, where he had served loyally.

At that time, the area outside Jixian County was truly bustling with activity, with gongs and drums beating and crowds of people everywhere.

Every respectable aristocratic family under the jurisdiction of Youzhou sent their patriarchs to welcome them.

For no other reason than that Wei Zhe's rampage across the borderlands eliminated the threat of the Hu people moving south in one fell swoop.

In fact, news of Wei Zhe's great victory at Langjuxu Mountain arrived even faster than he was originally supposed to.

Especially after learning that Wei Zhe had erected the "North Pole Stele" in Beihai to demonstrate his power to the surrounding barbarians, dozens of "Odes to Beihai" emerged from Dongshan Academy in a single day, all of which cheered for Wei Zhe's great feat.

Even the old man Cai Yong couldn't help but exclaim "How magnificent!" upon learning of this event. He regretted not witnessing it, saying that if he had been there, he would have written a magnificent inscription to commemorate it, and perhaps it could have been engraved on the "North Pole Stele".

However, Cai Yong's idea was met with merciless ridicule from Lu Zhi and Zheng Xuan.

There was nothing he could do; if he had gone with the army to the frontier with his health, he would probably have returned as ashes by now.

However, Lu Zhi and Zheng Xuan also repeatedly praised Wei Zhe's feat of conquering the grasslands and winning battle after battle.

Lu Zhi, in particular, gave extremely high praise to Wei Zhe's act of splitting the Xianbei.

In his words, Wei Zhe's decision to establish the Beihai Protectorate with the Dingling people was a stroke of genius, guaranteeing peace in Youzhou for a century. The barbarian troubles that had plagued Youzhou for so many years could finally be put to rest!
It can be said that everyone, from the gentry to the common people, was delighted by this.

After all, when the barbarians invaded the borders, they didn't care whether you were a noble family or a commoner; anyone could have their family destroyed and their life ruined.

However, even Han people who did not live in the border regions understood that Wei Zhe's actions were of great merit.

From the Former Han Dynasty onwards, the Hu people were the greatest enemy of the Han people.

Four hundred years of embellishment have long since ingrained this concern in our very being.

Therefore, the news of the great victory on the grasslands caused a sensation in the north in a very short time, and also spread to the central plains.

Despite the current chaos, the gentry families in different states still manage to exchange information.

Thus, Wei Zhe's monumental act of erecting a stele in Beihai and splitting the Xianbei people quickly shocked the world.

There's no way around it; the last person to fight a major battle at Langjuxu Mountain and bring his army to the North Sea was Huo Qubing.

Since Huo Qubing, only Wei Zhe has achieved this.

In a short time, Wei Zhe's reputation throughout the land soared like an explosive explosion.

Whether enemy or ally, no one can deceive themselves in the face of such astonishing military achievements!

……

Dongjun, Dong'e County.

Cao Cao, who was already in a career slump, was overwhelmed with mixed feelings when he saw the letter in front of him.

"I only regret that I cannot personally go to the grasslands and fight alongside Brother Gongwei!"

"Alas, what a pity! What a loss!"

At this moment, Cao Cao even regretted not trusting Wei Zhe's judgment when he was attacking Dong Zhuo.

If he had chosen Wei Zhe instead of Yuan Shao back then, the current situation might be very different.

However, Xun Yu couldn't help but cough lightly upon seeing this, and Cao Cao immediately realized his lapse in composure and quickly laughed it off.

After all, they still need to rely on Yuan Shao, so they can't say some things too obviously.

In contrast, the city of Puyang, not far away, presented a completely different picture. While Cao Cao was currently in dire straits, Liu Bei was enjoying immense success.

Upon seeing the battle report, Liu Bei immediately laughed and instructed Jian Yong:

"Xianhe, quickly, quickly write a congratulatory letter for someone and send it to Ji County."

Before he could finish speaking, he changed his mind and said, "No, prepare some more Xuanjia armor and precious swords, and send them along with them."

Not satisfied with that, he hesitated briefly before decisively adding:
"Yesterday I acquired a beautiful woman made of white jade, but I haven't taken her as my concubine yet. I'll send her to Ji County today as well!"

At this point, Liu Bei stroked his beard and laughed, saying:
"Since ancient times, heroes have been paired with beauties, and there is probably no one in the world more suitable for this woman than General Zuo!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fei and Guan Yu, aside from marveling at their elder brother's generosity, said nothing more.

Zhang Fei, especially, who hailed from Zhuojun, couldn't help but sigh at this moment:
"Although I knew that General Zuo was a hero of the world, I never imagined he was so valiant!"

"It is truly a blessing for the people of Youzhou to have such a wise ruler!"

If Zhang Fei and Liu Bei hadn't been sworn brothers since their youth, he would have genuinely wanted to join Wei Zhe.

Although Guan Yu did not utter a word, even someone as proud as him could only express his admiration for Wei Zhe at this moment.

He's just arrogant, not stupid. He still admires people who are truly capable!

However, upon seeing this, Chen Gong became even more satisfied with the lord he had chosen, his eyes filled with admiration.

No matter how illustrious Wei Zhe's achievements were, they were still thousands of miles away.

The Records of the Grand Historian states:
"When Liu Bang was in Shandong, he was greedy for wealth and fond of beautiful women."

"Now that we have entered the pass, we have taken no wealth and have not taken any women. This shows that our ambition is not small."

Chen Gong felt that Liu Bei today had a lot of the style of Emperor Gaozu.

Even though he is now the governor of Yanzhou, he is still not complacent and knows how to make choices.

Moreover, Liu Bei and Emperor Gaozu were quite acquainted in terms of their backgrounds.

When Gaozu (Liu Bei) started out, he was just a minor official in Sishui. In his early years, Liu Bei's family also made a living by weaving mats and selling shoes.

With the same rough and unruly manner and the same heroic bearing, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he is the reincarnation of Emperor Gaozu!
For Chen Gong, Liu Bei, the governor of Yan Province, was simply perfect.

Especially compared to his predecessor Cao Cao, who was suspicious and bloodthirsty, he was simply a wise ruler from a dream.

"Your Excellency is too modest. While General Zuo is indeed a hero of our time, you are also a hero of our era."

Chen Gong, with a smile on his lips, cupped his hands towards Liu Bei and said:
"In my opinion, the magistrate and the Left General are roughly equal in ability."

"As for who is stronger or weaker, we will know in time."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei quickly waved his hand and said, "Alas, Gongtai, you flatter me!"

Despite saying that, Liu Bei couldn't help but smile.

Of course, compared to Emperor Gaozu, Chen Gong still hoped that Liu Bei could be more like Emperor Guangwu.

After all, Emperor Gaozu was too harsh on Confucian scholars, while Emperor Guangwu treated scholars better.

Chen Gong's stance on this matter has never changed.

Meanwhile, as Liu Bei was preparing generous gifts to congratulate Wei Zhe, someone kept sighing.

(End of this chapter)