Brother, stop curling up! You're curling up like the founder of the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 110 Slaughtering the Bandits: Liu Bei's Imperial Ambition (Seeking updates and monthly votes)
When attacking Han Sui's camp, Liu Bei left behind the Xiajun Camp, which had the largest number of cavalry, and the Xiajun Camp Commandant Zhao Yun was also recuperating.

This deployment was also to guard against Ma Teng.

If Ma Teng remains stubborn and insists on helping Han Sui, tonight's attack will not be on three sides against Han Sui, but on three sides against Ma Teng.

Now that Ma Teng has made the right choice, the lower army camp, as a mobile battalion, naturally takes on the military task of pursuing the fleeing enemy.

Upon receiving the military order, Zhao Yun did not hesitate and immediately led his troops to pursue Han Sui's routed army.

The tens of thousands of rebel soldiers who remained in Han Sui's camp had long since died or been wounded in the chaos, and countless others had trampled each other in the process.

When Han Sui was alive, they could still put up a stubborn resistance.

After Han Sui fled, the remaining rebel soldiers lost all morale to resist, either surrendering on the spot or scattering and fleeing.

The battle was only just ending at dawn.

"General Ma Teng, a criminal, pays his respects to Prefect Liu."

Ma Teng, dressed casually, entered the camp to apologize to Liu Bei.

Yesterday we were enemies, today we apologize and become friends.

Liu Bei stepped forward and helped Ma Teng up, comforting him, "General, your willingness to abandon the darkness and join the light in attacking Han Sui is truly a blessing for the people of Yongzhou."

Ma Teng said with shame, "This sinful general dares not take credit. If it weren't for Lord Liu defeating Han Sui, this sinful general would not have been able to escape."

“You must not call yourself a ‘criminal general’ anymore.” Liu Bei corrected Ma Teng’s self-designation, saying, “I promised you before that if you were willing to abandon darkness and embrace the light, you would be the Left Fengyi. Now I will fulfill my promise.”

Ma Teng was filled with fear: "I am just a military man, not good at governing prefectures and counties. If you ask me to station troops to kill bandits, I can still do it, but if you ask me to govern a prefecture, it will really be difficult for me. I beg Governor Liu to rescind his order, and I am willing to lead troops to guard the border city."

"It's alright," Liu Bei insisted. "I believe that if General Ma can serve as the Left Fengyi, then he will certainly be a good Left Fengyi. The essence of governing a prefecture lies in governing people. Although you are a descendant of General Fubo, you came from a poor family and made a living by cutting wood and selling firewood. You must know how hard it is for the people in the prefecture to make a living."

"What I need is not a Zuo Fengyi who only talks grandly about decrees and fills the official positions, but a Zuo Fengyi who understands the hardships of the people and dares to punish corrupt officials and wicked people. I believe that General Ma is definitely capable of this position."

Liu Bei's sincerity gradually dispelled Ma Teng's fear.

Thinking back to his youth when he could only cut down trees and sell firewood to make a living, while his neighbors, who lacked strength, could only work as slaves for powerful bandits, Ma Teng gradually understood Liu Bei's intentions.

Ma Teng then stopped refusing, saying, "Governor Liu's willingness to seek happiness for the people of Yongzhou is admirable. In that case, it would be impolite of me to refuse!"

Liu Bei laughed heartily, "That's how it should be!" He then asked, "Is Ma Chao in the camp? When will he join my ranks?"

Liu Bei never forgot his disciple Ma Chao.

Although Ma Chao was still very young at the age of thirteen, once he grew up, he would become a mighty general who could guard Xiliang for Liu Bei!
“I was worried that Han Sui would send people to Ji County to harm my family, so I sent my son back to Ji County first,” Ma Teng replied truthfully. Then he asked, “If Lord Liu trusts me, please allow me to return to Ji County as well. After eliminating the remnants of Han Sui’s faction, I will go to Fengyi County to take up my post.”

Liu Bei took out the appointment letters for the Governor of Yongzhou and the Left Fengyi and handed them directly to Ma Teng, saying, "Since I employ you, I will not doubt you. After eliminating the remnants of Han Sui's faction, you will escort Yan Zhong to Chencang. Yan Zhong is the only one suitable to be the Governor of Yongzhou."

Compared to Han Sui's suspicious nature, Liu Bei's trust greatly shocked Ma Teng. Trembling, he accepted the two appointment letters and solemnly said, "I will certainly live up to Lord Liu's trust!"

After Ma Teng left, Jia Xu's slightly lazy voice rang out: "Isn't Your Excellency afraid that after Ma Teng annexes the remnants of Han Sui's forces, he will continue to resist in Hanyang County?"

Liu Bei disagreed: "Zuo Fengyi is a high-ranking official with a salary of two thousand shi (a unit of grain), and given time, it's not impossible for him to be ranked among the Nine Ministers and enfeoffed as a county marquis. What future can a rebel have?"

Turning to the hanging map of Yongzhou, Liu Bei's gaze fell on Chang'an again, with a hint of worry: "Han Sui was defeated too quickly. If the powerful bandits in the Three Auxiliary Regions are too afraid to raise an army, my losses will be great."

Jia Xu laughed and said, "It's alright not to raise troops. There are a lot of officials and soldiers in Han Sui's camp who have escaped from the Three Auxiliary Regions. These officials and soldiers are originally from the same clan as the powerful bandits. Since they have been convicted, we can kill the powerful bandits, distribute land and houses, and provide relief to the refugees. If you, my lord, also show respect to famous scholars, then all the scholars and people in the Three Auxiliary Regions will admire you."

Liu Bei couldn't help but laugh and say, "Wenhe, it's truly a waste of your talent that you're not appointed as the Governor of Yongzhou. If you were willing to take the position, why would I bother to recruit Yan Zhong?"

Jia Xu shook his head: "I only know how to talk about war on paper. Only someone with practical skills can be competent to govern Yongzhou."

It's just empty talk again.
If even Jia Xu only knows how to talk about war on paper, then who in this world has the talent to actually do it?
Knowing that Jia Xu's ambitions lay elsewhere, Liu Bei did not press the matter further.

Liu Bei's worries did not materialize.

The powerful bandits in the Three Auxiliary Regions were more courageous than Liu Bei had anticipated.

While Liu Bei's army was moving towards Chencang, Lu Fang and other powerful bandits in Mei County incited dozens of powerful bandits in Fufeng County to secretly gather their private troops and retainers for Chang'an.

The powerful bandits of Fengyi County and Jingzhao County also joined in.

More than 20,000 people gathered around Chang'an!

Lu Fang and his men also understood that Chang'an was easy to defend but difficult to attack, and that it would be difficult to break through the city without an inside agent. So they secretly sent someone to persuade Huangfu Song to take Huangfu Song as their superior.

According to Lu Fang and others, Huangfu Song must have harbored resentment after being ousted by Liu Bei, and now that he is under house arrest in Chang'an, he will inevitably need the help of these powerful bandits.

In order to capture Lu Fang and his men in one fell swoop, Huangfu Song pretended to be persuaded and not only agreed to act as an inside agent to open the city gate, but also personally wrote a letter to Huangfu Li, the Right Governor, asking Huangfu Li to cooperate in blocking Liu Bei's return army.

Lu Fang and the others were immediately excited, as if they could already see Liu Bei's army collapsing like a house of cards, and then kneeling down begging for mercy.

However, to Lu Fang and the others' surprise, after Huangfu Song claimed to have seized control of Chang'an, he invited them to a banquet in the city and then captured them all at the banquet.

All eighty-odd bandits were thrown into prison in Chang'an by Huangfu Song, while the bandits' private armies outside the city were directly surrounded and forced to surrender by Huangfu Li, Xu You, Jian Yong, She Jian, She Yuan, Liang Yan and others.

On the ninth day of the seventh month, Xu You sent a messenger to Chen Cang, requesting instructions on how to deal with Lu Fang and more than eighty other powerful bandits.

Liu Bei showed no mercy to the rebellious bandits, and immediately wrote back to order the execution of Lu Fang and his associates.

At the same time, troops were dispatched to three prefectures to confiscate all the fields, houses, money, and grain of these more than eighty powerful bandits as a warning to others.

Liu Bei then issued another order to the three commanderies, instructing the local strongmen to conduct self-examinations:
The order requires that all fields and houses seized over the years, as well as the slaves and farmers forcibly conscripted, be returned to the county, and that private armies, retainers, and knights be disbanded. As for fields and houses purchased normally and tenant farmers recruited normally, they only need to measure their land according to the land measurement order and report to the prefecture.

If one is willing to fulfill the obligations truthfully, then past transgressions will be forgiven.

In other words, Liu Bei no longer cares how much you concealed before; from now on, you should honestly pay according to the reported amount.

As for any concealment, Liu Bei didn't care.

Once the officials in each county have been successfully replaced, new laws and regulations will be in place to govern and investigate such cases.

The most active bandits, including Lu Fang and more than eighty others, not only lost their lives, but their property was also confiscated.

Lu Fang and his clansmen either fled or were punished by being made into agricultural settlers, responsible for cultivating government-owned land.

Furthermore, the rebel army that attacked Chencang was also annihilated by Liu Bei with overwhelming force, and no more powerful bandits in the Three Auxiliary Regions dared to challenge Liu Bei's might.

In an instant, all three prefectures were filled with fear!

July 16th.

Ma Teng, Ma Chao, and Yan Zhong all arrived at Chencang. Upon seeing Ma Chao again, Liu Bei couldn't help but laugh and say, "Ma Chao, would you be willing to join my ranks today?"

This time, Ma Chao did not refuse again. He immediately stepped forward and bowed, saying, "If you would not mind, Ma Chao would like to take Lord Liu as his teacher!"

"Good! Good! Good!" Liu Bei laughed heartily, stepped forward to help Ma Chao up, and then turned to Ma Teng: "Has Zuo Fengyi chosen a courtesy name for Ma Chao?"

Ma Teng shook his head, cupped his hands and said, "If Your Excellency is willing, you may choose on his behalf, and he can be formally given a name after he comes of age."

“In that case, I will accept it without being impolite.” Liu Bei looked at Ma Chaoyue and loved him more and more. He said, “As a descendant of General Fubo, you should surpass your ancestors and strive to live up to their expectations. As the eldest son, you may choose ‘Mengqi’ as your courtesy name.”

Ma Chao was overjoyed: "Thank you, Teacher, for bestowing upon me this calligraphy!"

Liu Bei then said to Ma Teng, "Since Mengqi is now my student, he can be by my side from now on. What does Zuo Fengyi think?"

Ma Teng was naturally pleased with this happy occasion and hurriedly said, "It is a great fortune for Mengqi to be able to follow Lord Liu."

Liu Bei then summoned Fa Zheng and introduced him, saying, "Xiaozhi is the grandson of Fazhen, a renowned scholar from Fufeng. He is about the same age as Mengqi and was also my first disciple. From now on, the two of you can exchange literary and martial arts skills with each other, and you should fulfill your duties as fellow disciples and not compete with each other."

Ma Chao and Fa Zheng were both visibly awestruck and bowed, saying, "We will follow your teachings, Master!"

After dismissing Ma Chao and Fa Zheng, Liu Bei bowed to Yan Zhong and said, "I have long admired the name of the famous scholar Yan Gong of Liangzhou. Today, I have finally met him and my wish has been fulfilled."

Yan Zhong hurriedly returned the greeting, saying, "Prefect Liu, you flatter me. I am but a poor scholar who has been coerced by the rebels. I am unworthy of such a great honor from you. I am ashamed to accept the position of Chief Administrator."

Liu Bei laughed and said, "Lord Yan, there is no need to be so modest. Jia Wenhe has repeatedly recommended you to me. With your talent, you are more than capable of taking on the important task of governing the country."

Upon hearing the name "Jia Wenhe," Yan Zhong was taken aback: "The Jia Wenhe mentioned by Liu Yongzhou, is he Jia Xu from Guzang, Wuwei?"

Liu Bei nodded: "It is indeed this person."

Yan Zhong's expression turned serious: "With Jia Xu assisting Liu Yongzhou, why should I be appointed as the Chief Administrator? Jia Xu possesses the talents of Zhang Liang and Chen Ping; appointing him as Chief Administrator would be a waste of his abilities."

Liu Bei laughed and said, "I also know of Wenhe's talent, but it's a pity that Wenhe is unwilling to serve as the Chief Administrator and only wants to be a Military Advisor in the army. I can't force him."

Yan Zhong said sternly, “Such a great talent, how can he be left to languish in the position of military advisor? Do you know where Jia Xu is now? I am not talented, but I am willing to persuade Liu Yongzhou.”

Liu Bei said helplessly, "To tell you the truth, Wenhe heard that Lord Yan arrived in Chencang today, so he returned to Huaili ahead of time. If we say that he is here, Lord Yan will definitely refuse to serve. We cannot let Lord Yan be idle at home because of him."

Yan Zhong was speechless.

If Jia Xu were here, I would certainly refuse to serve.

"Lord Yan is a renowned scholar from Liangzhou and is also skilled at recognizing people. I humbly request Lord Yan's assistance." Liu Bei bowed twice.

Seeing Liu Bei's sincerity, Yan Zhong was quite moved. He was actually willing to come to Chencang with Ma Teng this time.

If Yan Zhong hadn't had this intention, he would have run away long ago; there's no reason for him to make a special trip to see Liu Bei.

After thinking for a moment, Yan Zhong asked in a low voice, "Would Governor Liu please dismiss his attendants?"

Liu Bei nodded, dismissed Ma Teng and the others, and invited Yan Zhong to come forward and sit at the same table.

"To be honest, I was impetuous in the past and said some things I shouldn't have. If Governor Liu appoints me as the Chief Administrator of Yongzhou, it might cause inconvenience." Yan Zhong sighed and told Liu Bei about how he had once advised Huangfu Song to establish himself as emperor.

Liu Bei didn't take it to heart: "I am neither Han Xin nor Huangfu Song. Lord Yan has the talent of Kuai Tong and can also discern the general trend of the world. It would be even more inconvenient if he were not appointed as the governor of Yongzhou."

Yan Zhong looked at Liu Bei in surprise, a thought suddenly forming in his mind. He tentatively asked, "May I ask what Liu Bei's ambitions are in Yongzhou?"

Liu Bei chuckled lightly, without saying a word: "If in this life I can awe the barbarians of the Western Regions, the northern barbarians, and the southern barbarians, and my power extends throughout the land, with all nations coming to pay tribute, then I will be content."

Yan Zhong became increasingly alarmed as he listened.

If it is said that a great general's ambition is to awe the barbarians of the Western Regions, the northern nomads, and the southern barbarians, then it is a powerful minister's ambition to extend his influence throughout the land.

Therefore, the wish of emperors is for all nations to pay tribute.

Liu Yongzhou has quite the ambition!

The more Liu Bei had such ambitions, the more at ease Yan Zhong felt.

The current state of the imperial court in Luoyang is clear to all discerning people in the land.

While arbitrary bans on political parties curbed factionalism, they also caused innocent scholars to suffer.

Sha Tai, who rose to high office due to his military merits, caused the court to lose the support of soldiers from humble backgrounds.

The rampant sale of official positions has plunged the common people into misery.

Furthermore, the eunuchs, imperial relatives, and ministers fought each other incessantly, completely disregarding the well-being of the people.

It can be said that during the reigns of Emperors Huan and Ling, they offended all social classes, including the powerful, the poor, and the common people.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the whole world is their enemy.

Such a court is beyond repair, like rotten wood.

Only by breaking down the old can we build a new one; by cutting down the rotten wood, new branches can grow from the roots.

After understanding Liu Bei's ambition, Yan Zhong stopped pretending and stood up to bow, saying, "If Your Excellency does not despise me, I am willing to serve as the Chief Administrator of Yongzhou."

Liu Bei was overjoyed and stood up to help Yan Zhong, saying, "With Yan Zhizhong's help, I have nothing to worry about!"

Having accepted the position of Chief Administrator, Yan Zhong no longer stood on ceremony and recommended, "Hanyang County has suffered greatly from the rebels and needs a capable administrator to serve as its Prefect."

“Zhang Ji, also known as Zhang Derong, was from Gaoling in Fengyi County. Although he came from a poor family, he was a man of good appearance. At the age of sixteen, he served as a minor official in Fengyi County. He was promoted several times for his political achievements. Later, he was recommended by the county as a candidate for the civil service examination. However, he felt that the court was corrupt, so he did not go to Luoyang to serve as an official in the imperial court.”

"Your Excellency should appoint Zhang as the Prefect of Hanyang and send another general to garrison Ji County, then Hanyang can be safe."

Liu Bei also remembered Zhang Ji's life story. He was known for his benevolent governance and when he first served as the magistrate of Xinfeng County, his achievements were the best among the thirty-eight counties in the Three Auxiliary Regions.

Later, he served as the Prefect of Jingzhao, where he governed the people well and was loved by them. During his tenure as the Governor of Yongzhou and the Governor of Liangzhou, he also achieved remarkable results in governance.

Although Zhang Ji is not yet well-known, the fact that he is valued by Yan Zhong, who is good at recognizing people, means that he must have something amazing about him.

He pondered for a long time.

Liu Bei then made a decision: "Since Yan Zhizhong recommended him, Zhang Ji can be appointed as the prefect of Hanyang on a trial basis. I will have my third brother Zhang Fei lead troops to garrison Ji County to help Zhang Ji pacify the counties."

(End of this chapter)