Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 33 The Combination of Wang Yun and Lu Bu
After personally escorting Yuan Pang out of the gate of Yong'an Palace, Liu Bian took the opportunity to see him off and asked Yuan Pang about his opinions on Wang Yun and Zhu Jun in the carriage.

Yuan Pang pondered for a moment and said slowly, "Prince's teacher is a man of integrity. He has a good reputation. Your Highness can tempt him with fame and fortune."

Liu Bian did not speak, recalling Wang Yun's indignant expression and the "subconscious" action of drawing his sword when he saw the information about the Taiping Dao. When he first met him, he only felt that this man was loyal and upright, but now after hearing what Yuan Pang said, he suddenly felt that he was contrived.

However, Liu Bian did not feel disgusted with Wang Yun for this reason. This behavior was nothing more than a way of showing loyalty to him and was nothing.

I just remember that Wang Yun in history did attach great importance to reputation, and he enthusiastically took up the vanguard banner of the struggle against eunuchs, and was favored and protected by He Jin and Yuan Wei.

Wang Yun was definitely a scheming person. He deceived Dong Zhuo, who was in power, into trusting him and then seized the opportunity to collude with Lu Bu to kill him.

If that were all, perhaps Wang Yun would only be left with the image of a loyal and righteous man who sacrificed his life for the country. However, after he came to power, his true nature was exposed. He began to be proud of his achievements and acted arrogantly. He no longer listened to any loyal advice, and even imprisoned and killed Cai Yong.

Speaking of which, Wang Yun's reason for executing Cai Yong was also jaw-dropping. Initially, it was just because Cai Yong was grateful to Dong Zhuo, the man who had pardoned him from fugitive status, so he showed some mourning after Dong Zhuo's death. This made Wang Yun hold a grudge against him and handed him over to the court for punishment.

Originally, Cai Yong's crime was not punishable by death, but when Cai Yong wrote a letter to admit his mistake and hoped to continue compiling the history book, Wang Yun became furious and wanted to execute him.

One can't help but speculate that Cai Yong, who was respected and favored by Dong Zhuo, knew a lot about what Wang Yun did when he was trying to please Dong Zhuo. Wang Yun was worried that Cai Yong would record it in history books, so he wanted to execute him?
However, these are just speculations, and Liu Bian would not use them to completely deny Wang Yun.

Just as Yuan Pang said, Wang Yun can be used, and if he is tempted with fame and fortune, he can become a knife in his hand.

"Master Prince, do you dare to take on such a heavy responsibility? Are you willing to sacrifice your good reputation for the country?" Liu Bian looked at Wang Yun, saw the "loyalty and resentment" in his eyes and smiled faintly.

As for fame and fortune, Liu Bian was never stingy.

As an official, who doesn’t seek fame and fortune?
Wang Yun, while valuing profit, also cared particularly about his good reputation. Such a person is actually much more useful than many scholars.

He would not do anything that would damage his reputation, and this is also how Liu Bian easily grasped Wang Yun's lifeblood!
As for profit, only those with talent can obtain it!
Wang Yun was thrilled. The fruits of his years of hope were about to be realized today. In his excitement, he blurted out, "Your Highness, if you have any orders, I will obey them!"

Compared to Yuan Pang's "I will definitely not humiliate you," Wang Yun's words were a bit too flattering. He realized this and quickly added: "I am willing to die for the Han Dynasty, not to care about a mere worldly reputation!"

"I wish to entrust the affairs of Yuzhou to you, but Yuzhou borders Sanhe, and the Taiping Dao rebels are deeply entrenched. If we lose it, the capital will be in danger."

Wang Yun became more and more excited when he heard what the prince said. Could it be that the prince wanted to appoint him as the governor of Yuzhou?

Just as the prince said, the importance of Yuzhou is even more important than Jizhou to some extent, but the prince now wants to entrust Yuzhou to him. Could it be that the prince really appreciates him!
Thinking of this, Wang Yun's heart was filled with emotion.

The Wang family of Taiyuan not only has scriptures passed down to the world, but Wang Yun also studied the scriptures while practicing riding and archery when he was young. He is not inferior to the cavalry generals in riding horses and hunting.

"I was skilled in archery and horsemanship when I was young. I wish to die wrapped in my horse's hide to repay the Crown Prince's kindness!"

Liu Bian clapped his hands and laughed, as if delighted by Wang Yun's bold words. He said, "Good! I will do you a great favor!"

"However, you are a pillar of the country, and you should not talk lightly about dying on the battlefield." Liu Bian sat upright with a solemn expression, which moved Wang Yun quite a bit.

"Well, for the sake of my teacher's safety..." Liu Bian looked at Gao Wang and said, "Awang, go and summon the captain of the Yue cavalry."

Not long after, the tall and mighty Lü Bu arrived at the main hall of Yong'an Palace at the summons of Gao Wang. The moment Wang Yun saw Lü Bu, he couldn't help but exclaim, "What a brave general!"

For some reason, Wang Yun felt that Lu Bu was quite pleasing to the eye the first time he saw him.

"This is my Yue Cavalry Captain, Lü Bu, Lü Fengxian. He is quite brave, and once defeated 500 Xianbei cavalrymen with only 50 of them!" Liu Bian shook Wang Yun's hand tightly, a look of concern on his face. "I would like to appoint you as the Governor of Yuzhou, granting you the authority to serve. However, if you wish to take the position, you must bring your Yue Cavalry Captain's troops with you and temporarily serve as a military officer. Otherwise, I am deeply concerned for your safety."

"Your Highness is so kind, I cannot repay you even if I die!"

Wang Yun fell to the ground and cried. He and Liu Bian got along well with each other as king and minister. I don't know how much ink he contributed to the historian standing by.

Liu Bian sent Wang Yun away again, and noticed Zhu Jun looking at him eagerly. He recalled Yuan Pang's evaluation of Zhu Jun in the carriage.

"This Zhu Gongwei...is too slick and lacks respect for the laws of the court. Honestly, I dislike him."

Given Yuan Pang's personality, if it weren't for the fact that there were only him and the prince at the moment, and if he was helping the prince select candidates, he really wouldn't want to criticize others behind their backs.

Thinking back on Yuan Pang's evaluation of Zhu Jun, Liu Bian was also hesitating about how to arrange for Zhu Jun.

He had been hesitant before, thinking that the person who was capable of both civil and military affairs but not upright enough was Zhu Jun.

Zhu Jun made outstanding achievements both in governing the local area and leading troops in battle.

In the first year of Guanghe, Zhu Jun was appointed governor of Jiaozhou for his meritorious service in governing Lanling. At that time, there were many rebellions in Jiaozhou. Zhu Jun recruited 2,000 soldiers from his hometown and led 3,000 soldiers from the prefecture and counties, totaling 5,000 people. He defeated the tens of thousands of troops led by the rebel Liang Long, put down the rebellion in one fell swoop, and was granted the title of Duke of Duting, with a fief of 1,500 households.

His achievements in both civil and military affairs were enough for Liu Bian to entrust him with important tasks. However, as Yuan Pang said, Zhu Jun lacked respect for the law.

In the second year of the Xiping reign (173 AD), Yin Duan was reported by the provincial governor for his failure to suppress Xu Zhao. He was sentenced to death by public execution. Zhu Jun, wearing tattered clothes, quietly left the capital with hundreds of gold coins and bribed the officials in charge of the memorial. He then altered the governor's memorial, saving Yin Duan's life.

Xu Gui, who succeeded Yin Duan as the prefect of Kuaiji, was later framed by the provincial governor. Zhu Jun led dozens of light cavalry and chased him at full speed all night, snatched the memorial sent by the provincial governor to Luoyang, and saved Xu Gui.

Is it worthy of praise to protect a boss who is already guilty by bribery and to protect a new boss by snatching documents?
Of course it deserves "praise"!
In today's Han Dynasty, snatching documents is a common occurrence and has become a well-known means of maintaining popularity.

The greater the reputation, the easier it is to become an official. Even if you are promoted to a higher rank, you will only be praised as a gentleman who has changed drastically, rather than a minister who got promoted by luck or a person who is greedy for power.

But for such a lawless person, Liu Bian really found it hard to believe that a minister like Zhu Jun, who was inclined towards scholars, would enforce the law impartially and deal with local corrupt officials.

(End of this chapter)