I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 107 We're actually on the same side!

"Really?"

Is our lord questioning us?

"it is good!"

Liu Miao pointed at Chen Yu, who was jumping around the most enthusiastically: "You! Go and kill Liu Xun!"

"I?"

Chen Yu looked around and, seeing that everyone's eyes were on him, made up his mind: "Fine! I'll go and kill Liu Xun!"

"You actually went when I told you to? Your hand is for holding a pen, can you even lift a knife?"

Liu Miao hadn't expected that even an honest man like Chen Yu would shout for his life, which made him realize how resistant everyone was to Liu Xun's arrival.

but……

"Can Liu Xun be killed? Hmm?"

Liu Miao asked Lu Su, "Zijing, what will be the consequences of killing Liu Xun now?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Lu Su blurted out, "That must mean a complete break with Yuan Shu!"

Anyone with eyes can see that Liu Xun was sent by Yuan Shu to reap the benefits.

If Liu Xun were killed, it would be tantamount to breaking ties with Yuan Shu and becoming his enemy head-on!
Liu Miao then asked Zhou Yu, "Gongjin, if Yuan Shu attacks, can you defeat him?"

"Can!"

A resolute and unequivocal reply.

"it is good."

Liu Miao then asked a second question: "If Yuan Shu were to join forces with Xu Gong, Yan Baihu, and others to attack, are you confident you could defend Danyang?"

Zhou Yu hesitated for a moment, but still nodded: "Fighting on two fronts is a major taboo, but we can still hold our ground by relying on our terrain advantage!"

"it is good."

Liu Miao then asked a third question: "Gongjin, can you resist Yuan Shu while simultaneously sending soldiers to sweep across Jiangdong, and ensure that the people's strength is not depleted and the soldiers are not exhausted during this period?"

Zhou Yu was speechless.

While amassed a large army along the Yangtze River to guard against Yuan Shu, they also had to sweep across Jiangdong and preserve the nation's manpower. Even if you invited Jiang Ziya to come here, let alone Zhou Yu, it would be impossible to accomplish such a thing!

"Isn't this right?"

"Breaking off relations with Yuan Shu now would certainly not make us afraid of him, but it would definitely delay our own great cause."

"In this era of great strife, a single step behind means falling behind at every turn. Are we really going to wait until Yuan Shao defeats Gongsun Zan and unifies Hebei, and Cao Cao conquers Xuzhou and shakes the Central Plains, before we're still entangled with Yuan Shu in this small town of Danyang?"

"Besides..."

Liu Miao laughed and said, "Yuan Shu has sent another five hundred warhorses this time! If we left Yuan Shu, could we still get such a good deal?"

"It's just Liu Xun, everyone. Please be patient and don't pay any attention to him."

Seeing that the crowd was still dissatisfied, Liu Miao simply shouted at them to leave, leaving them all seething with anger!

Of those who remained, only a handful were Lu Kang, Chen Yu, Zhou Yu, Lu Su, Zhang Zhao, and Gu Yong.

"Why aren't you leaving? I've prepared a banquet in the front hall to entertain Liu Xun. If you don't go, it might incur his wrath!"

"Ah."

Lu Kang, the most senior, said: "I am, after all, a General of Loyalty and Righteousness bestowed by the imperial court, ranking alongside the Nine Ministers. How could I, a mere Prefect of Danyang, be afraid of him?"

Chen Yu: "My father is Chen Qiu."

Zhou Yu: "I am a military general!"

Lu Su: "I am a subject of my lord, what does Liu Xun have to do with me?"

Zhang Zhao and Gu Yong remained silent, but their expressions clearly showed disdain for Liu Xun as they looked at Liu Miao.

"Besides, even if others don't know Zhongshan, don't we know Zhongshan?"

Chen Yu moved closer to Liu Miao and sat down next to him.

“Zhongshan, are you really willing to let Liu Xun take Danyang? Tell us honestly, have you already planned how to kill Liu Xun? Are you going to smash a cup at the banquet as a signal, and then have a group of axemen rush out and chop Liu Xun into pieces? Or are you going to poison him in his cup and kill him directly? Or are you going to take him hiking and then push him off the mountain to make it look like he accidentally fell to his death?”

"..."

Liu Miao looked at Chen Yu with a puzzled expression, and for the first time truly understood what it meant for scholars to have black hearts!

"Come on! Do they really think Yuan Shu is a fool?"

With so many retainers following him, how could Liu Xun be easily assassinated?

Moreover, since Yuan Shu was able to send Liu Xun, it was clearly a signal to monitor Liu Miao and others. If Liu Xun died, he could simply send someone else. Did Liu Miao intend to kill him later?

"You can all just continue with your own business. There's no need to fight Liu Xun."

Liu Miao reassured the group, saying, "It is the time for spring plowing. We cannot let our dealings with Yuan Shu and Liu Xun affect the people. Therefore, we must continue with our duties and not slack off."

"Zhang Gong is right. The construction of various parts of Jinling City is beneficial to the people. We cannot delay important matters just because of Liu Xun's sudden arrival."

"Gongjin, continue training the new recruits. Zijing, in Yecheng, urge the forging of weapons and armor to keep up with the pace of military expansion. Make sure the armory is full and ready for future battles. Do you understand?"

In short, Liu Miao's words can be summarized in five words: Do nothing!

Chen Yu grew anxious: "Zhongshan, if you make us do this, aren't we just doing all the work for Liu Xun?"

"When it comes to things that benefit the people, how can there be any talk of one person doing the work for another?"

Chen Yu didn't believe it; he always felt there was something fishy going on!
Suddenly, Chen Yu's eyes lit up, and he leaned over to ask, "Zhongshan, have you already come up with a plan to deal with Liu Xun? With your personality, you're definitely not the kind of person who's so mild-mannered! Tell me! Tell me!"

"Why won't you believe me when I tell you the truth?"

Liu Miao shook off Chen Yu who was clinging to his body and stretched comfortably.

"I haven't had a moment's rest since crossing the river! I just wrote to Yuan Shu that I was seriously injured and unable to move, so I might as well take this opportunity to rest properly!"

Never had a moment of peace?
Even Lu Kang couldn't stand what he was saying!

Zhou Yu was always in charge of military campaigns.

Logistics arrangements were usually planned by Lu Su.

Most of the burden of domestic affairs and political matters fell on Gu Yong and Zhang Zhao. Lu Kang had often seen Liu Miao slacking off in the courtyard, yet now he was saying that he had never had a moment of leisure?

Lu Kang was immediately enraged and rushed out first.

After seeing Lu Kang leave, Zhou Yu immediately chased after him.

"What is Lu Zhongyi going to do?"

"What else can we do? Now that Yuan Shu has extended his butcher's knife, are we just going to offer our necks for slaughter?"

Seeing Lu Kang's anger, Zhou Yu knew that the old man most likely truly believed Liu Miao's words...

"Does Lu Zhongyi really think that our lord would be afraid of Yuan Shu and dare not kill Liu Xun?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

Zhou Yu shook his head.

"If that's really the case, why would our lord go through the trouble of crossing the river, promulgating regulations, and allowing the people to recuperate?"

"My lord, although you do not wish to immediately break with Yuan Shu, the reason is that you do not want to delay important matters at this crucial time of spring plowing because of your conflict with Yuan Shu or your struggle with Liu Xun. That is why you have instructed us to act as if nothing has happened and to focus on doing our duties!"

Liu Miao's words just now did sound like a show of weakness, so it's no wonder that Lu Kang was so indignant.

However, Zhou Yu clearly understood Liu Miao's deeper meaning.

Liu Miao wanted to keep the conflict with Liu Xun within a small scope, or even between the two of them, so as not to affect the officials and people of Danyang, and not to damage the strength of Danyang Prefecture because of this!
Lu Kang then understood Liu Miao's thoughts, feeling both relieved and ashamed: "If Zhongshan had such concerns, he should have just told us directly. Why hide it?"

Zhou Yu asked in surprise, "Didn't our lord just say that Lu Zhongyi thought our lord was just making excuses?"

Lu Kang: "..."

After coughing a few times, Lu Kang skipped the somewhat awkward topic and asked Zhou Yu, "But we can't let Liu Xun stay in Danyang forever, can we? I know him better than anyone! Doing a good deed can be incredibly difficult for him, but doing a bad deed is a piece of cake for him! Gongjin, don't you think so?"

Zhou Yu smiled: "Didn't our lord just say that he needs to rest and recuperate recently? Isn't this just him thinking of a plan to drive Liu Xun out? Lu Zhongyi, don't worry!"

Lu Kang was surprised. Could it really be like that?

……

The words Liu Miao had spoken to the others were quickly found out by Liu Xun's retainers and reported to Liu Xun. Upon learning this, Liu Xun chuckled twice and said, "Although Liu Zhongshan is neither talented nor virtuous, he does have some self-awareness. That's good, and it saves me the trouble."

After Liu Xun took office as the governor of Danyang, he appointed a large number of his retainers as officials.

He appointed a prefectural magistrate, a chief clerk, five officials' assistants, five department inspectors, a pavilion chief, a chief clerk, a chief recorder, and clerks. In each county, he appointed a magistrate, a chief official, and various clerks and officials, leaving no one for Liu Miao.

Seeing that the officials in various prefectures and counties had all been appointed to his own people, Liu Xun confidently set out to audit the treasury and collect taxes. However, he soon received countless similar responses from below—

"What prefecture? I only listen to the three chiefs!" "I am the three chief, I'm doing a good job under Chief Clerk Gu, what do you want me for?" "What? You want to collect taxes? You want to levy levies? I'll beat you to death! Who do you think you are!" "Oh! So you really are from the government? I thought you were a fraud." "Don't look for me! Go talk to Chief Clerk Gu and Lord Zhang!"

Uncle's!
What are the three longs?
What is Juntian?
How could Gu Yong, a mere chief clerk, be entrusted with managing internal affairs?

And Zhang Zhao, isn't he a Prefectural Governor? Why is he interfering in tax and corvée labor affairs?
Liu Xun stormed off to Gu Yong, but Gu Yong remained in a half-dead state.

"The Three Chiefs and Equal Land Distribution have already been implemented. Does Liu Danyang intend to abandon them halfway?"

"Now is the time for spring plowing. If the order is suddenly changed, it will surely cause public resentment to boil over! Can Liu Danyang bear the consequences then?"

Liu Xun was speechless for a moment, and since he dared not offend the Gu family of Wu County behind Gu Yong, he could only go to Zhang Zhao again.

Zhang Zhao reacted even more fiercely, throwing the document in his hand directly at Liu Xun's face: "I am ordered by the General of the Rear to build the city of Jinling! If I don't conscript laborers, who will I conscript? Do you expect me, Liu Xun, to carry stones to build the city?"

"..."

Although Zhang Zhao did not have a powerful family background, his world-renowned reputation was his greatest asset!

With Gu Yong and Zhang Zhao forming the central core, and the three chiefs on the outside, along with the grassroots structure of equal land distribution, all government affairs cleverly bypassed the "prefecture" level of administrative unit, so that although Liu Xun appointed many officials, he had no opportunity to take advantage of any gaps!
Liu Xun was furious: "So that's what Liu Miao was planning! How despicable!"

Because Gu Yong was backed by the Lu family of Wu Commandery and was also a disciple of Cai Yong, Liu Xun dared not force him.

Because Zhang Zhao was a renowned scholar far and wide, and held the high position of Prefectural Governor, Liu Xun dared not provoke him either.

Since that's the case, Liu Xun decided to go straight to the point and go after Liu Miao, this easy target!

When Liu Xun arrived at Liu Miao's residence, he knocked on the door with a hint of anger!

"Isn't this Zitai? What brings you here?"

Liu Miao looked quite content. Having rested at home for the past few days, his skin had even become fairer. He was wearing only a gray-white silk robe with the collar open. He looked nothing like a governor of a prefecture; he looked more like a Taoist scholar who often engaged in philosophical discussions at home!
Liu Xun angrily retorted, "Liu Zhongshan! Don't you know why I'm here?"

Liu Miao was baffled: "Since Zitai came to Jiangdong and took office as the governor of Danyang, I felt that I had finally been relieved of my burdens, so I stayed at home to recuperate from my injuries and did not even leave the house. How could I know why Zitai came looking for me?"

As Liu Miao spoke, he placed a cup of light tea in front of Liu Xun.

"Zitai, the Shennong Materia Medica says: Shennong tasted hundreds of herbs and encountered seventy-two poisons every day, which were cured by tea. This is some tea I have found these days. I have also stir-fried it and brewed it. It has a great flavor. Come and try it."

Perhaps it was Liu Miao's gentle and sincere attitude that made it seem genuine, or perhaps it was the tea's aroma that truly had a calming and nourishing effect, but Liu Xun's anger did indeed dissipate, and he picked up the tea and drank it down in one gulp, just like an ox chewing on a peony!

"Ok?"

After taking a sip, Liu Xun's eyes lit up: "It's really delicious! It's bitter at first, but then a refreshing fragrance soothes the lungs and spleen! A fine tea!"

"That's right! Haha!"

Liu Miao said smugly, "I've had nothing to do these past few days, so I've been studying the art of tea. That's how I managed to develop it. Zitai's arrival was really timely. If it had been a few days earlier, I probably wouldn't have been able to drink such tea!"

Liu Xun was immediately confused.

He came to find Liu Miao because he wanted Liu Miao to give him an explanation!
But Liu Miao said that he had been studying the art of tea these days... And after Liu Xun tasted it, he confirmed that the tea could not be made without some effort. Could it be that he had misunderstood Liu Miao?
Liu Xun told Liu Miao about being rejected by Gu Yong and Zhang Zhao, which shocked Liu Miao: "There's such a thing?"

"Liu Yangzhou doesn't know?"

Liu Miao gave a wry smile: "To be honest, Zitai, since I came to Jiangdong, I haven't really been involved in anything."

"Militarily, Zhou Yu and those former subordinates of Sun Jian never let me get involved. In terms of politics, Gu Yong and Zhang Zhao never let me ask questions either... Everyone knows that I am the Governor of Yangzhou, but they don't know how difficult my situation is! I thought they would listen to you because Zitai is a close person to the General of the Rear, but I didn't expect that they wouldn't even give you that much face?"

Liu Xun was also taken aback when he heard these words!
He had considered that Liu Miao might be a coward.

But I never expected Liu Miao to be so spineless! He was completely sidelined by his subordinates!
So, according to that logic...

Liu Xun asked in bewilderment, "Has Liu Yangzhou always been manipulated by them like this?"

"Yes!"

When Liu Miao spoke of his sorrowful moments, he almost covered his face and wept!

"Zitai, it seems now that we are the ones who share the same plight!"

(End of this chapter)