The Three Kingdoms: Hindsight is 20/20, and the Three Revivals of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 62 Wherever Liu Bei went, wise men appeared; this is the true value of the First Succubus.
After bidding farewell to Yuan Tan, Liu Bei embarked on his journey to Pingyuan State.

Although traveling with tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians would slow down the journey, it also gave Liu Bei time to visit the counties and towns along the way.

During the month or so that Zhu Xu arrived in Pingyuan Kingdom.

Liu Bei visited wise men in the counties and towns along the way.

Since we have decided to stay in Pingyuan for the time being, we should naturally visit wise men to expand our reputation.

In this pre-internet era, personal reputation was almost entirely built through word of mouth.

The more wise men one visits, the faster one's reputation spreads.

Liu Bei's act of visiting wise men was also passed down by word of mouth among these wise men, and continued to spread in the counties, towns and surrounding areas along the way.

In addition, whenever Liu Bei visited a wise man, he would say to him, "I have more than 7,000 volumes of books, which were given to me by Chen Deng, the governor of Guangling, and Kang Chenggong of Beihai. I wish to show them to the scholars in Pingyuan so that they may read and copy them."

All of a sudden.

Scholars flocked to Pingyuan State upon hearing the news.

Some scholars along the way even volunteered to follow Liu Bei to Pingyuan State, only asking to read and copy books along the way.

Chen Deng, the Prefect of Guangling, was the son of the Chen family, a prominent family in Xiapi.

The books collected by a family of high-ranking officials must be exceptional.

The book collection of Zheng Xuan, the Duke of Kangcheng, was a true treasure of his time.

Those who obtained Chen Deng and Zheng Xuan's collection of books wished they could build a fortified village to hide them, fearing that they might be discovered.

after all.

Book collections are meant to be passed down through generations.

Lending money to outsiders is tantamount to creating a competitor for one's future career.

Unless this outsider can become a disciple or former subordinate.

The reason why the Yuan family had so many protégés and former officials was that the Yuan family used the prestige and power of four generations of high-ranking officials to cultivate a large number of scholars who entered officialdom.

And Liu Bei.

There was neither an intention to hide it from others nor an intention to make scholars swear allegiance.

Liu Bei's thinking still revolved around chivalry and righteousness: those who were willing to come to Pingyuan Kingdom to read and copy were all his friends.

In the eyes of powerful families, Liu Bei's approach was too naive, filled with the foolishness of "a fool with lots of books, come quickly."

However, in the eyes of Zhuge Liang and others, Liu Bei's approach, though seemingly foolish, was actually a sign of great wisdom.

The absence of barriers meant that a large number of scholars would come to view and copy the texts.

The world is in chaos.

There are countless wise and intelligent people whose families have been broken up and who have been scattered to different places.

Although these people have a talent for reading, they lack classic books to read and copy.

Even a talented person like Zhuge Liang had to rely on the marriage of his two older sisters to be able to study.

If Zhuge Liang's two older sisters had not married into powerful families in Jingzhou, they would have been lucky to even support themselves, let alone study there.

more.

Like Xu Shu, he would have to work odd jobs in taverns and shops every day in addition to his studies to earn money to support his elderly mother.

And now.

Liu Bei, without asking any conditions from his followers, made his collection of over seven thousand volumes of books available for them to read and copy free of charge!
Such magnanimity and boldness are rarely seen in the world.

A year is a short time; those who are idle will accomplish nothing and it will pass by in a flash. Yet a year is also a long time; those with lofty ambitions will have enough time to prepare themselves for their future actions.

And Liu Bei.

Those who have lofty aspirations!
When Liu Bei arrived in Pingyuan, he had more than three hundred scholars with him!

This year.

Few were alive, even fewer were literate, and still fewer could read. The fact that over three hundred scholars accompanied them was already quite a spectacle.

"Chen Zhen, the magistrate of Gaotang County, greets General Zuo."

Gaotang City.

A tall, handsome middle-aged man greeted them at the city gate.

Zhuge Liang carefully examined Chen Zhen's appearance and asked in surprise, "Are you Chen Xiaoqi from Nanyang?"

Chen Zhen was startled and looked in the direction of the sound.

But after carefully examining Zhuge Liang, Chen Zhen had no recollection of him and was puzzled. He then cupped his hands and asked, "I have been away from Nanyang for several years. May I ask who you are?"

Zhuge Liang returned the greeting with a cupped hand and said, "Zhuge Liang, the military advisor and general under the Left General and a native of Langya, greets Magistrate Chen. When I first entered Nanyang, I heard that Chen Xiaoqi of Nanyang was loyal and upright; I also heard that Magistrate Chen was recruited by the General and entered Hebei. I often lamented that I could not get to know Magistrate Chen."

After being praised by Zhuge Liang, Chen Zhen's goodwill towards Zhuge Liang increased dramatically. He quickly said, "Military Advisor Zhuge is too kind. I am just a minor official and do not deserve such high praise from you."

Even so, Chen Zhen felt a pang of envy.

Thinking about myself, I'm already over thirty, and I'm just a county magistrate in Gaotang County, Pingyuan State, a mere minor official.

Looking at Zhuge Liang, he was already the Left General and the Military Advisor to Liu Bei in his prime!

People are more mad than people.

Zhuge Liang, with his sharp eyes, keenly noticed the subtle bitterness in Chen Zhen's expression and tone, and immediately spoke up for Chen Zhen: "Is there too many talented people in Hebei? County Magistrate Chen has the talent of a minister, yet Yuan Shao only uses him as a minor official?"

Chen Zhen was horrified.

I have never met Zhuge Liang, yet he speaks highly of me.

Thinking of his experiences under Yuan Shao, Chen Zhen sighed and said, "My talents are insufficient to be entrusted with important matters. Being appointed as an official is already a great favor from the General."

The speaker meant it, and the listener took it to heart.

Upon hearing Zhuge Liang's words, Liu Bei immediately realized that the man before him was far more than an ordinary county magistrate.

Immediately.

Liu Bei stepped forward and bowed, saying, "County Magistrate Chen, you should not underestimate yourself. The former Chancellor Cao Shen was initially just a prison clerk. It was not that Cao Shen lacked talent, but rather that the time was not right."

Chen Zhen quickly returned the greeting, saying, "General Zuo, you flatter me. I am of limited talent and learning, how could I dare to compare myself to Prime Minister Cao!"

Although he said that, Chen Zhen's heart was in turmoil.

No talented scholar wants to have his talents go unused.

For several years under Yuan Shao, Chen Zhen could only serve as a minor county official, never receiving promotion or recognition.

To say that Chen Zhen was willing to be a minor county official is to be deceiving himself.

Looking at Liu Bei, whose demeanor was as gentle as a spring breeze, Chen Zhen felt a stirring in his heart: Perhaps, this is my chance!
In times of chaos.

A ruler chooses his ministers, and a minister chooses his ruler.

Liu Bei wanted to recruit talented people to serve him, and Chen Zhen also wanted to find a wise ruler to establish his career.

[I wonder if General Zuo's account is truly as rumored.]

While I was thinking.

Liu Bei then asked, "Is the magistrate of Gaotang in the city?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhen sighed: "A month ago, Governor Yuan sent his subordinate Hua Yan to Pingyuan Kingdom to settle various matters, and instructed the officials and people of Pingyuan Kingdom to respectfully welcome the Left General."

"But Hua Yan was a greedy man. He used the pretext of welcoming the Left General to extort bribes from various counties. The magistrate of Gaotang refused, so he resigned and went back to Jingzhou."

Liu Bei frowned.

During his visits to various scholars, Liu Bei also learned from the sidelines about the "inhuman behavior" of Yuan Tan, the governor of Qingzhou: he favored sycophants, distanced himself from virtuous officials, allowed his troops to wreak havoc, and plundered the people.

If it weren't for needing Yuan Tan's help to establish a foothold in Hebei, Liu Bei, in his usual temperament, would have already whipped him.

　My hand injury hasn't healed yet, so the second update will be later.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)