I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 91 Gu Yuantan
Qu'a County is located fifty li east of Moling.

This place is near Guangling, and every year people from Xuzhou would cross the river to escape disaster here. So the number of registered households has not decreased in recent years, but has increased every year. In addition, Jiangdong has not experienced any major disasters for many years, so it can be considered prosperous.

Gu Yong, the magistrate of Qu'a County, came from the Gu family of Wu County. He studied under the famous scholar Cai Yong and became the magistrate of Hefei County shortly after reaching adulthood. He later served as the magistrate of Renlou and Shangyu. He achieved good results in every place he went and can be called a capable official.

Although Gu Yong's name contains the character "Yong," he is not wealthy in stature, and there is often a hint of bitterness between his brows. Even those close to him will unconsciously feel fear and are often afraid to get close to him.

When Gu Yong returned to his residence that day, a minor official rushed in, shouting, "An army has captured Moling! What should we do?"

Moling has always been the western barrier of the Wu region. Once it is breached, the roads will be wide open. No wonder the minor officials are panicked; they are worried about the calamity of war.

Gu Yong remained calm and asked, "Were those attacking Moling bandits?"

"They were well-equipped and their banners were clearly visible; they were not bandits!"

"Since they're not bandits, what's there to worry about?"

After Gu Yong finished speaking, he took off his clothes and went to bed as usual. When the other people in the county heard that Gu Yong was like this, they were no longer afraid of the fall of Moling and began to feel calm. Agriculture, sericulture and irrigation continued as usual and were not affected by the incident.

It wasn't until the "Decree for Seeking Talented Individuals" was issued that Gu Yong finally took action, but he didn't go to Moling; instead, he went to the east of Qu'a.

Because a large number of people from Xuzhou crossed the river to Jiangdong every year, Gu Yong settled most of them in the east and granted them land, which earned praise from the scholars and people of Xuzhou.

When Gu Yong's carriage arrived, the surrounding people and scholars all bowed to him, but Gu Yong remained indifferent. Although he returned the bows, he did not smile.

When the carriage arrived at a thatched hut, Gu Yong got off the carriage, walked to the door with a serious demeanor, and bowed to the hut: "Gu Yuantan has some doubts that he would like to ask Lord Zhang for advice. He humbly requests Lord Zhang's audience."

Gu Yong waited in front of the door for a long time, but there was still no movement inside.

Even the coachman who drove for Gu Yong wondered, "Zhang Gong might not be here. Perhaps the magistrate could come another day?"

Gu Yong ignored the coachman and continued to wait.

squeak~~~
Just moments ago, the groom had questioned whether the shed was unoccupied, but now it was making noise. The door slowly opened, and the hinges made a sickeningly loud sound.

The next moment, a middle-aged scholar with bright eyes, high cheekbones, a few strands of white hair at his temples, and a dignified appearance pushed open the door and stood in front of Gu Yong.

Although Gu Yong said nothing, the middle-aged scholar had already guessed the purpose of Gu Yong's visit.

“Yuan Tan has always been a deep and reserved person, unwilling to let others know his worries. Since he has come to see me today, there must be some enormous problem he has to solve?”

Gu Yong bowed and said, "To be honest, Lord Zhang, I am quite perplexed and have not yet been able to resolve this issue. That is why I have come here to discuss it with you."

"What's the matter?"

"The world has been in turmoil for a long time. Jiangdong is fortunate to have the natural barrier of the Yangtze River to maintain its stability. However, with chaos on the horizon, Jiangdong cannot remain in a corner of the world. We do not know where to go or what to do."

The middle-aged scholar stroked his beard slowly: "Yuan Tan should know that I am merely a man who has left his hometown. If I were truly unafraid of chaos, how could I have come from Xuzhou to Jiangdong?"

Gu Yong said, "The day Zhang Gong came to Jiangdong from Xuzhou, he must have known that although the world is vast, there is nowhere left to hide."

"If the Central Plains are in chaos, one can travel from the Central Plains to Huainan; if Huainan is in chaos, one can travel from Huainan to Jiangdong; but now Jiangdong is also in chaos, so must one travel from Jiangdong to Jiaozhou?"

"Besides, Lord Zhang, you have a reputation for integrity. Do you really intend to continue hiding like this?"

Zhang Zhao sighed and stepped aside to let Gu Yong enter the room.

Gu Yong entered the room and saw that it was full of bamboo slips and books, especially a scroll of military strategy placed in the center of the table. He immediately understood Zhang Zhao's intention.

"It seems that even Master Zhang is no longer willing to continue studying the classics."

Zhang Zhao once studied the Zuo Zhuan under Bai Hou Zi'an. He was friends with Zhao Yu from Langya and Wang Lang from Donghai. Chen Lin, a talented scholar from Xuzhou, also admired him. Governor Tao Qian recommended him as a candidate for the position of Maocai (a high-ranking scholar), but Zhang Zhao refused. Tao Qian even imprisoned Zhang Zhao for this, and he was only released after his friends intervened. He was truly an extraordinary man.

Even such a person no longer studied the classics, but instead began to study practical things like military strategy. Gu Yong then knew that the Zhang Zhao in front of him was no longer the Zhang Zhao he had heard about.

Zhang Zhao sat down and began to study military strategy.

"Isn't Yuan Tan still the same?"

"You should have been learning music and poetry from Cai Yong, so why are you now running around doing trivial things?"

Gu Yong replied, "That's just how things are."

"Well, that's the situation for me too."

Zhang Zhao finally sat up straight: "It seems that what Yuan Tan came here to ask about today is the word 'current situation'?"

"Exactly."

"Is it because of Liu Miao, who suddenly crossed the river?"

Zhang Zhao guessed it instantly, and Gu Yong was not surprised, after all, this was the only major event that had happened in Jiangdong recently.

Gu Yong nodded.

“I noticed Liu Miao even before he crossed the river. I saw him taking in people who had fled south on the north bank of the river and building fortified villages in places like Ruxukou. I knew he must have designs on Jiangdong.”

"Afterwards, Zhou Yu of Jiangdong was recruited by him and, with the help of Sun Jian's old troops, he captured Niuzhu. It was not surprising at all."

"However, it was somewhat unexpected that he did not attack Danyang, the county seat, or Wanling, where Zhou Xin was located, but instead attacked Moling to the east and immediately organized the people to cultivate the land."

Gu Yong asked, "Lord Zhang is much older than me. Have you ever seen a lord who led the people across the river and considered their well-being before his own ambition to dominate the country?"

Zhang Zhao naturally shook his head.

"I have not seen it."

Gu Yong then asked, "Do you think Liu Miao did this for Yuan Shu's sake?"

Even Liu Miao's legitimacy in crossing the river stemmed from Yuan Shu's appointment as the governor of Yangzhou, so Gu Yong naturally suspected that Liu Miao might have been instructed by Yuan Shu.

When Gu Yong mentioned Yuan Shu, Zhang Zhao smiled disdainfully: "If Yuan Shu were truly so considerate of the people, he wouldn't have been driven from a prosperous place like Nanyang to Huainan, nor would he have been suppressed to such an extent by Yuan Shao."

Gu Yong nodded in agreement: "Zhang Gong and I are of the same mind."

"So, Liu Miao did it himself?" "It should be."

Gu Yong then bowed to Zhang Zhao and said, "Liu Miao is a descendant of the Prince of Langya and comes from Xuzhou. You, Lord Zhang, are also from Xuzhou. Have you heard of Liu Miao's reputation before?"

"I've never heard of it."

Zhang Zhao was straightforward and always said what he meant.

Seeing that Gu Yong had asked so many questions about Liu Miao, Yuan Tan couldn't help but ask, "Yuan Tan has asked so many questions about Liu Miao. Does he want to pledge allegiance to him?"

Gu Yong simply took out the recruitment notice that Liu Miao had distributed to various counties from his bosom and handed it to Zhang Zhao to look at.

"Right now, Liu Miao is leading the people across the river, and his power is immense. He also has a skilled general like Zhou Yu at his disposal. Zhou Xin is certainly no match for him. In addition, Lu Kang, the prefect of Lujiang, has also crossed the river with him, which is obviously to support Liu Miao... With such a person who has a strong army and brave generals at his disposal, the support of local gentry, and the prestige of the Yuan family, isn't it only a matter of time before he takes over Jiangdong?"

"But I don't know Liu Miao's character, so I carried this item hoping that Master Zhang could give me some guidance."

Zhang Zhao took the recruitment notice, glanced at it, and frowned: "What is this?"

Zhang Zhao then commented: "I don't know about Liu Miao in other aspects, but first of all, his writing skills are lacking! He must not have studied properly when he was young!"

After reading the contents, Zhang Zhao disdainfully held only one corner of the recruitment order, dangling it in the air and shaking it.

"How can such a recruitment notice attract talented individuals?"

“Recruiting talent directly with the position of Chief Secretary is either too arrogant or a cunning person who wants to deceive others!”

Zhang Zhao tossed the recruitment notice out the window as if it were a piece of waste paper, then washed his hands with water, clearly showing his extreme disgust!
"The position of Chief Secretary should be given to either a person of high moral character and prestige or a person of both virtue and talent. Liu Miao, however, granted it to someone at will, which shows his cunning! I do not like such a person."

Zhang Zhao didn't care that Liu Miao might become the de facto ruler of Jiangdong in the future, and he spoke his mind without any reservations.

"In my opinion, he's probably using the position of Chief Secretary to lure talented young men from noble families like you. But once you've arrived, he'll use all sorts of excuses to refuse, never giving you a high position, leaving you to swallow that bitter pill like a mute!"

“Yuan Tan, forget it! Most of the feudal lords in the world are the same. Anyway, you have the backing of the Gu family of Wu Commandery and are a disciple of Cai Yong. You are quite famous in Jiangdong and your life is not in danger. Why should you be deceived by Liu Miao?”

Is it a scam?
Gu Yong knew that Zhang Zhao had already given him advice, so he got up and didn't bother him any longer.

"Yuan Tan, have you made up your mind?"

"Think about it."

Gu Yong's face was completely expressionless, and even his tone of voice remained the same throughout.

"I still want to see Liu Miao. I always felt that he was different from ordinary people."

Seeing that his advice had not changed Gu Yong's mind, Zhang Zhao was somewhat helpless: "I have seen too many princes use such methods. They appear magnanimous on the surface, but in reality, they are so petty that they cannot even let a needle pass through their hearts! Do you really think that Liu Miao would treat you as a chief clerk?"

Gu Yong did not answer, but instead asked Zhang Zhao, "If Liu Miao really appoints me as Chief Secretary, what will you do, Lord Zhang?"

"what?"

Zhang Zhao was so angry that he laughed: "If Liu Miao really dares to appoint you as his chief clerk upon first meeting you, then I, Zhang Zhao, will immediately run to Liu Miao and beg for forgiveness with a bundle of thorns on my back!"

"it is good."

Gu Yong left behind a single word, along with the still-roaring Zhang Zhao, and immediately set off for Moling.

Gu Yong traveled by carriage, but as soon as he reached the territory of Moling, he saw that farmers were beginning to appear on the previously deserted land.

They cut down the vines and trees growing there, piled them up and burned them, then scattered the ashes on the ground. They then used seed drills and hoes to break up the soil, loosening the underlying earth and creating patches of farmland.

To Gu Yong's surprise, it wasn't just the common people who were collectively cultivating the land; even some young men who were clearly soldiers, carrying banners, were using tools to dig up river channels and build irrigation canals, doing their best.

However, Gu Yong also saw many problems in Moling on his way there.

For example, farmers often quarrel during the land reclamation process, thinking that others are encroaching on their land.

For example, some farmers, who are clearly from the north, often dig irrigation ditches closer to their fields out of greed for water, unaware that the Jiangdong region has abundant water resources. As a result, groundwater seeps out, turning a perfectly good farmland into a low-lying pond.

Furthermore, fights, brawls, and theft of oxen were commonplace, causing Gu Yong, a capable official, to frown and question the governing ability of Liu Miao's officials.

Therefore, after Gu Yong handed over his letter to Liu Miao, he did not stay at the post station to wait obediently, but went to the area around Moling to investigate the current problems in Moling.

When Gu Yong met Liu Miao, he didn't introduce himself extensively, but instead took out several scrolls of bamboo slips and handed them to Liu Miao.

"After Liu Yangzhou has seen these, he should be able to figure out where the problem in Moling lies!"

In fact, Liu Miao felt much more at ease after learning that the person who handed him the stab was Gu Yong, Gu Yuantan!
Seeing that Gu Yong had come prepared, even bringing his own "resume," Liu Miao was even more delighted.

After receiving the bamboo slips, Liu Miao carefully read through their contents, word by word.

Gu Yong did not disturb him, but stood there silently.

It took Liu Miao a long time to read through the advice Gu Yong gave him, but after he finished reading it, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief, clearly feeling completely at ease!

"Since arriving in Moling, I have been dealing with trivial administrative matters. Although my subordinates have been working diligently, the results have been minimal. Only now, after reading Yuan Tan's book, do I realize that there are such errors!"

For example, one of Gu Yong's suggestions was that the refugees came from different places with vastly different local customs, so they should be grouped together according to their regions, and respected people should be found to establish grassroots organizations. This would allow them to integrate into Jiangdong more quickly and reduce the pressure on the upper-level government.

If this policy were implemented, the workload of officials could be reduced by a third, freeing them from being constantly on the go.

However, Gu Yong was not complacent after receiving Liu Miao's praise: "When I was in Qu'a, there were often refugees from the north crossing the river to seek refuge, so I have experience. I can offer such a plan to Liu Yangzhou not because my wisdom surpasses that of Liu Yangzhou's staff, but simply because I have such experience!"

Liu Miao was increasingly pleased with Gu Yong!
Not only is he talented, but he's also incredibly humble!

So Liu Miao glanced provocatively at Lu Kang beside him—

Who says you can't catch Xiao He? Look, he's here now!
Liu Miao stepped forward and grabbed Gu Yong, asking eagerly, "Yuan Tan, you are a man of great talent! Would you be willing to serve as my chief secretary and work together to create a great enterprise?"

Gu Yong, who had been wearing a cold expression, suddenly twitched his face, but it was fleeting.

It's unlikely anyone thought Gu Yong had smiled just now, but he definitely did.

Because he knew that he had won his bet with Zhang Zhao!
(End of this chapter)