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

Chapter 95 Liu Bei Establishes His Authority: Submit or Get Out (Seeking First Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets)
"Xianhe, your arrival is just in time. I was just about to send someone to find you." Upon seeing Jian Yong, Liu Bei was both surprised and delighted. He quickly invited Jian Yong to sit down and then asked, "Why didn't Gongming travel with you?"

In the past, Jian Yong and Xu Huang entered Chang'an together. Now that Liu Bei has come to Chang'an, Xu Huang should have come to pay his respects, but he did not come with Jian Yong, which made Liu Bei wonder.

Jian Yong smiled and said, "Gongming is now the Commandant of the Vanguard under Shi Sunrui, the Prefect of Jingzhao. Some time ago, a powerful bandit caused trouble in Luoyang, and Gongming was sent to quell the rebellion."

"With Gongming's talent, he's only a bandit-slaying captain?" Liu Bei was slightly dissatisfied.

According to Liu Bei's idea, Shi Sunrui should either not use Xu Huang, or he should directly appoint Xu Huang as the Commander-in-Chief of Jingzhao Commandery.

Who does this lowly bandit captain think he is?
“The situation in the Three Auxiliary Regions is somewhat complicated.” Jian Yong put away his smile, and his tone became more serious. “Although the court has incorporated the Three Auxiliary Regions into Yongzhou, Zhang Wen, the Commandant of the Capital Region, has not left Chang’an City. And most of the officials, big and small, in the Three Auxiliary Regions have close ties with Zhang Wen.”

“Cai You of Youfufeng and Huang Guang of Zuofengyi were both recommended by Zhang Wen; although the current Prefect of Jingzhao, Shi Sunrui, was promoted by Gai Xun after he became the Governor of Yongzhou, Gai Xun was also recommended by Zhang Wen to become the Prefect of Jingzhao in the past.”

“If Xuande wants to establish his authority in Yongzhou, Zhang Wen cannot stay in Chang’an. Otherwise, the officials and people of the counties will surely outwardly comply with Xuande but inwardly defy him.”

"in addition."

As Jian Yong recounted the current situation of officials, scholars, and common people, combined with Jia Xu's previous descriptions, Liu Bei gained a deeper understanding of Yongzhou.

"He's just a mere Commandant of the Capital Region. If he refuses to leave, I'll personally escort him away." Liu Bei sneered, not taking Zhang Wen seriously at all.

Gai Xun had been recommended by Zhang Wen to be the Prefect of Jingzhao. With this connection, even if he became the Governor of Yongzhou, he could not easily drive Zhang Wen away from Chang'an.

Liu Bei, however, was different.

No matter how much prestige Zhang Wen had, could it be greater than that of Zhang Rang, He Jin, Yuan Wei, and the other gentry of Luoyang? Liu Bei wasn't afraid of the three forces of Zhang Rang, He Jin, and Yuan Wei, so why would he be afraid of Zhang Wen?

"From now on, Xianhe, you will be the Chief Clerk of Yongzhou, in charge of personnel matters." Liu Bei immediately announced Jian Yong's appointment, his tone slightly stern: "Notify the Prefect of Jingzhao, Shi Sunrui, the Right Prefect of Fufeng, Cai You, the Left Prefect of Fengyi, Huang Guang, and all the officials of the prefecture that I will be hosting a banquet at my residence tonight. Also, send someone to invite Zhang Wen, the Commandant of Sili."

The administration of the Three Auxiliary Regions differed slightly from that of other prefectures and kingdoms. The three chief officials—the Prefect of Jingzhao, the Right Prefect of Fufeng, and the Left Prefect of Fengyi—did their daily work within the city of Chang'an.

Therefore, Liu Bei did not need to send people to the cities and prefectures to invite guests when he wanted to hold a banquet.

Jian Yong understood that Liu Bei wanted to hold a banquet to establish his authority, so he did not hesitate, clasped his hands in obeisance, and left.

After Jian Yong left, Liu Bei summoned Xu You and Jia Xu and explained his intention to establish his authority.

“Zhang Wen was quite famous in Nanyang. He was promoted by the eunuch Cao Teng and repeatedly served as Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Works, General of Chariots and Cavalry, and Grand Commandant. He was also the first of the Three Dukes in this dynasty to not be in the court. He was extremely prestigious.” Xu You slowly recounted Zhang Wen’s resume without any worry in his tone.

Clearly, Xu You was simply stating a fact, not asserting that Zhang Wen could not be used to establish authority.

Liu Bei chuckled: "A true hero doesn't dwell on past glories. Zhang Wen is nothing more than an old man clinging to Chang'an. I control the military and political affairs of Yongzhou, and I have soldiers and generals under my command. What is there to fear?"

Turning to Jia Xu, Liu Bei asked again, "Jia, what do you think of my plan?"

Without hesitation, Jia Xu said, "Two tigers cannot share one mountain; this plan is imperative."

Liu Bei laughed loudly.

Jia Xu did not assert whether the plan would succeed, but only pointed out the core: regardless of the outcome, Liu Bei wanted to use Zhang Wen to give the officials of Yongzhou a warning.

Meanwhile, at the Sili Xiaowei Mansion.

Upon receiving the invitation, Zhang Wen frowned.

Before Liu Bei arrived, his reputation had already spread throughout Chang'an.

When the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out, he served under Colonel Zou Jing and was rewarded for his meritorious service in suppressing the Yellow Turban rebels. He was then appointed as the Commandant of Anxi.

When Ren Anxi was serving as a magistrate, he did not commit any offenses against the people, but was dismissed by the court. Unable to bear the humiliation, he publicly whipped Zhang Feng, the adopted son of Zhang Rang, who was then serving as the supervisor of the post, and resigned.

He was subsequently recruited by Wang Fen, the governor of Ji Province, to serve as a military officer in Luoyang. After Wang Fen's incident, Liu Bei was not implicated.

In Luoyang, Wu Kuang, a subordinate of General He Jin, deliberately made things difficult for him, so Wu Kuang beat him up. At the post station, Wu Kuang boasted, "I can use my pen to bring peace to the world, and I can use my horse to conquer the universe. Who can surpass me in strategy? I am the only hero of all time." As a result, Liu Hong selected Wu Kuang to be the Right Colonel of the Western Garden Army.

Later, Bao Hong, the military officer, entered Yuzhou. Because Bao Hong embezzled military funds, Liu Bei was ordered to capture Bao Hong alive and replace him as the military officer.

Now he has replaced Gai Xun as the new governor of Yongzhou.

At the beginning of last year, Liu Bei was just a lowly magistrate of Anxi who was about to be eliminated. In just over a year, Liu Bei rose from magistrate of Anxi to governor of Yongzhou, who was in charge of the military and political affairs of a province!
This speed of promotion is truly astonishing.

After pondering for a long time, Zhang Wen sent someone to invite Cai You of Youfufeng and Huang Guang of Zuofengyi.

Cai You and Huang Guang were both from Xiangyang. They were not only recommended by Zhang Wen as Right Fufeng and Left Fengyi, but also related to Zhang Wen.

Zhang Wen's wife was the sister of Cai Feng, a famous scholar from Xiangyang. Cai Feng had a son named Cai Mao and a son-in-law named Huang Chengyan.

Cai You was a relative of Cai Feng, and Huang Guang was a relative of Huang Chengyan.

Before the Yellow Turban Rebellion, when Zhang Wen was the Commandant of the Capital Region, Cai You and Huang Guang certainly could not have become the Right Commandant of Fufeng and the Left Commandant of Fengyi.

After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, local rebellions intensified, and Liu Hong couldn't care less about anything else. He only focused on accelerating the sale of official positions and amassing wealth, completely disregarding who was whose relative or friend.

Zhang Wen was also able to appoint Cai You and Huang Guangyun as Right Fufeng and Left Fengyi respectively.

Liangzhou is rife with rebellions, so it's more reassuring to use one's own people.

Zhang Wen recommended Gai Xun as the Prefect of Jingzhao because Gai Xun was from a prominent local family in Liangzhou with a family income of 2,000 shi (a unit of grain), and Zhang Wen needed to rely on Gai Xun's power to maintain the balance of power in the Three Auxiliary Regions.

After Gai Xun was reassigned as the governor of Yongzhou, he appointed Sun Rui, a scholar from Fufeng, as the governor of Jingzhao, also in order to maintain balance.

Originally, after seeing Gai Xun appointed as the governor of Yongzhou, Zhang Wen believed that as long as he cooperated closely with Gai Xun, he, Zhang Wen, would be the uncrowned king west of Tongguan.

Unexpectedly, before Gai Xun could even put his skills to use, he was transferred back to Luoyang to serve as an advisor. Instead, Liu Bei, a former military officer of the Western Garden Army who was bold, reckless, and unconventional, succeeded him as the governor of Yongzhou.

Zhang Wen extremely disliked military men wielding power.

For example, Zhang Wen greatly disliked Dong Zhuo, who was promoted to Governor of Bing Province. When Zhang Wen was General of Chariots and Cavalry, he deeply resented Dong Zhuo for relying on his military power.

Now, with Dong Zhuo forcibly taking 5,000 soldiers to Bingzhou, Zhang Wen's disgust for military men has only intensified.

This aversion was transferred to Liu Bei upon his arrival.

Before long, Cai You and Huang Guang arrived one after the other.

"Have you received an invitation to Liu Bei's banquet?" Zhang Wen asked directly, getting straight to the point.

Cai You and Huang Guang exchanged a glance and nodded.

"Hmph." Zhang Wen's face was displeased. He said, "After Liu Bei came to Chang'an, he only handed over the seals and documents to Gai Xun, but did not come to pay his respects to me. This is extremely rude. Tonight, you two will stay in the mansion and drink with me. You don't need to pay any attention to Liu Bei."

Cai You and Huang Guang were both taken aback.

Is Zhang Gong going to teach Liu Bei the rules?
“Master Zhang, Liu Bei is, after all, the Governor of Yongzhou, and has the power to appoint and dismiss officials in the Three Auxiliary Regions. If the two of us do not attend the banquet, Liu Bei may dismiss us directly in his anger.” Cai Youxin was worried.

Cai You spent tens of millions of dollars on his efforts to become the Right Vice-Prefect. If he is dismissed before his term is even a year old, wouldn't that be a huge loss?
Huang Guang also had concerns: "I've heard that Liu Bei is always fierce and decisive in his dealings with others. Perhaps we should go to the banquet first and then wait for an opportunity to act. If Liu Bei has no intention of being Zhang Gong's enemy, then we will surely become mortal enemies in the future if we are humiliated like this."

Zhang Wen's face suddenly darkened: "How can someone so timid achieve great things?"

Cai You and Huang Guang dared not meet Zhang Wen's sharp gaze, and lowered their heads weakly without saying a word.

Seeing the two men's timid appearance, Zhang Wen couldn't help but feel annoyed. How could they possibly defeat the enemy if they were cowardly before even engaging in battle?
"Fine. I will go with you all. At the banquet, do as I say." Zhang Wen had no choice but to settle for second best.

Cai You and Huang Guang both breathed a sigh of relief.

If they didn't attend the banquet, Liu Bei would have a handle against them, and if Liu Bei publicly appointed two officials from certain prefectures as Right Fufeng and Left Fengyi, they would have nowhere to turn to complain.

If he attends the banquet, Liu Bei will not be able to find fault with him. Even if Liu Bei wants to appoint or dismiss You Fufeng and Zuo Fengyi, he will have to find another reason, otherwise he will not be able to convince the public.

The Right Governor of Fufeng and the Left Governor of Fengyi were, after all, officials with a salary of two thousand shi (a unit of grain), and it wasn't something that could be dismissed so easily.

Since Zhang Wen, Cai You, and Huang Guang all chose to attend the banquet, the other officials from various prefectures and counties who were observing the situation also accepted the invitation.

However, when everyone entered, they were dumbfounded.

Zhang Wen's seat was actually at the very end!

"How dare you, Liu Bei, a mere scoundrel, insult this old man?" Zhang Wen was so angry that his beard bristled, and he glared fiercely at Cai You and Huang Guang.

Is this because Liu Bei had no intention of being an enemy?
If I had known this would happen, I would have been better off striking first and humiliating Liu Bei than being humiliated by him!
Zhang Wen made a move to leave, but was stopped by Guan Yu and Zhang Fei at the door, each wielding a sword or spear.

"How dare you stop me?" Zhang Wen was stunned, clearly not expecting that he couldn't leave either, and his tone instantly turned gloomy.

Guan Yu snorted coldly and said without any politeness, "If others want to leave, my brothers will not stop them. However, the Commandant of the Capital Region just insulted Lord Liu as a scoundrel and also slandered Lord Liu with the intention of humiliating him. If we let the Commandant of the Capital Region leave now, tomorrow the officials and people of Chang'an who do not know the truth will all think that Lord Liu has humiliated the Commandant of the Capital Region."

Zhang Wen's anger intensified: "Isn't it an insult to make me sit in the last place?"

“Zhang Sili is mistaken!” Guan Yu’s arrogance grew even stronger: “The Book of Rites says: ‘When the banquet is held facing south or north, the west is the most honored direction; when the banquet is held facing east or west, the south is the most honored direction.’ Now, the banquet in the governor’s mansion is held in the main hall, and the host’s seat faces south and is the most honored. You, my lord, are the governor of Yongzhou appointed by the emperor, overseeing the military and political affairs of Yongzhou. Your rank is equal to that of the Nine Ministers, so you should naturally occupy the host’s seat facing south!”

"Although the Commandant of the Capital Region is a prestigious position, his duties are to supervise the capital region and he is not an official stationed in Chang'an. According to the Han Dynasty rites, 'At banquets in prefectures and counties, the order of seating is based on official rank and duties.' You are neither an official under the jurisdiction of Yongzhou nor have you been ordered by imperial decree to assist in the affairs of the prefecture. You are in fact a guest minister—it is customary for a guest minister to be seated at the end of the table!"

Zhang Wen was stunned, staring at Guan Yu in disbelief.

This scoundrel actually knows the Book of Rites and the Han Dynasty Rituals?
Zhang Wen's current feelings are similar to Yin Xiu's, who was once rendered speechless by Cui Wu's erudite rebuttals: both humiliated and helpless.

He claimed that sitting in the last position was an insult from Liu Bei, only to be countered by a mere warrior using the principles of rites and Han etiquette. Coupled with Guan Yu's arrogant demeanor, it was almost a direct mockery: "A dignified Commandant of the Capital Region, yet you know nothing of etiquette?"
What infuriates Zhang Wen the most is that he is now in a dilemma.

Forcing yourself to leave is rude; sitting down, on the other hand, feels stifling.

"Second brother, you mustn't be rude!"

Just as the two sides were deadlocked, Liu Bei walked over from behind at the opportune moment, glanced at Zhang Wen's seat, and pretended to be displeased: "The Commandant of the Capital Region is an honored guest I invited. He should be seated in the head seat as a guest. How can you treat him with the rites due to a guest minister? This is simply absurd! Hurry up and apologize to the Commandant of the Capital Region!"

Guan Yu reluctantly bowed and apologized to Zhang Wen.

Liu Bei then bowed to Zhang Wen and apologized, saying, "This man is my second brother, Guan Yu. He has read too much but has no ability to adapt, which has made the Commandant of the Capital Region laugh at us."

Zhang Wen felt even more frustrated.

Reading too much makes one inflexible?
Who are you being sarcastic about?

Zhang Wen had used this tactic countless times in his life and had long seen through it; it was a deliberate show of force by Liu Bei.

However, the situation was beyond Zhang Wen's control at the moment. Even if he saw through the truth, he couldn't make a move, otherwise he would only lose face if he continued.

Resentfully returning to his seat, Zhang Wen snorted, "I am indeed a guest elder, and should rightfully sit in this last position."

But inside, Zhang Wen was already roaring incessantly.

Zhang Wen suffered a setback as soon as he arrived. Cai You, Huang Guang, Shi Sunrui, and the other officials from various prefectures and counties all thought of the stories about Liu Bei circulating in Chang'an.

He whipped Zhang Rang's adopted son, beat He Jin's subordinate generals, captured Bao Hongping, and quelled the Yellow Turban Rebellion, among other things.

At first, no one dared to believe it completely, but after seeing Liu Bei give Zhang Wen a show of force today, they realized that the rumors were true and couldn't help but feel a sense of fear: Liu Bei was indeed as rumored, bold and fierce, and they had to be careful in dealing with him.

Liu Bei took in everyone's reactions.

After everyone had taken their seats, Liu Bei smiled gently, raised his cup, and said respectfully, "I am grateful for His Majesty's trust in appointing me as the Governor of Yongzhou. In the future, I will need your help in the military and political affairs of Yongzhou. I respectfully thank you all."

Everyone raised their glasses in return, but Zhang Wen, sitting at the end of the table, remained upright, as if he hadn't heard a thing.

Liu Bei ignored Zhang Wen's reaction. After everyone had finished drinking and sat down, Liu Bei's smile widened: "According to the rules, a new official must do a few important things to establish his authority. I am no exception."

Everyone was shocked.

Do I need to be so blunt?

While it's common for a new broom to open up, few people would openly declare to the public, like Liu Bei, "I'm here to establish my authority."

Those who dare to say such things are invariably people who are fearless and have nothing to fear.

After glancing at the crowd's reactions, Liu Bei continued, "Now I announce the first important matter. Starting tomorrow, everyone who attended today's banquet must report to the prefectural government; absences are not permitted. Those who are absent for three days will receive a written warning; those absent for five days will be placed on probation; and those absent for ten days will be expelled from Chang'an and replaced with a more capable person. Does anyone have any objections?"

(End of this chapter)