He originally intended to surrender to Wei, so why did he end up restoring Han?

Chapter 67 The Selection of the Governor of Yangzhou

"Domineering government" can also breed new corruption and powerful clans. Old officials cannot supervise the officials in a domineering government, and the supervision by new officials is likely to be merely a formality. Those who hold these positions are also likely to transform from capable officials into powerful ministers. Not to mention the various people who come in through back channels, which will still lead to redundant officials and staff.

Most importantly, this model is tailor-made for the leader and cannot be institutionalized or standardized, therefore it cannot be passed on to the successor. If the successor cannot manage it, then they will only be manipulated by others.

Cao Cao's hegemonic mansion was ultimately only suitable for Cao Cao, so Lu Su had to choose another method.

However, no matter how they wanted to solve this problem, the Eastern Han court in Xu County, which was still alive, was the biggest obstacle. If they took small actions, they wouldn't have much effect; if they took big actions, they would immediately be labeled as traitors to the Han.

"It's alright, since we can't figure it out, let's not think about it for now, okay? Let's talk about sending troops to Huainan." Liu Bei was genuinely afraid that Lu Wan and Chen Qun would do something like this, changing the existing framework, which was the most hated thing, and could easily make them public enemies. Liu Bei still wanted to work with the two of them to restore the Han Dynasty, but he didn't want to go his own way halfway through his career.

"My lord, I think there's nothing left to discuss militarily. General Guan's plan is excellent. By advancing into Huainan and Guangling from three directions, our army will only need some time to rebuild the damaged county towns. There will be almost nothing left to overlook." Lu Wan thought for a moment and still felt there were no problems.

Chen Qun glanced at Lu Wan in surprise, as if to say, "How could you make such a basic mistake?" He winked at Lu Wan several times, but Lu Wan still didn't understand what Chen Qun meant. Chen Qun had no choice but to speak directly: "My lord, if we want to establish ourselves in Yangzhou, who should we appoint as the Governor of Yangzhou? If we don't have the title of Governor or Inspector of Yangzhou, our army won't have a permanent presence in Huainan."

"Oh, you mean this? I already discussed it with my lord, and he said he needed to consider it carefully. By the way, has my lord decided on a candidate yet?"

Liu Bei's eyes flickered slightly, and his voice lacked confidence: "Ah—um—I have indeed thought about it seriously. What do you think of Yuan Long?"

Lu Wan and Chen Qun exchanged a glance and said, "Not really. Yuanlong is currently the Commandant of Agriculture and Colonial Affairs, and if anyone should be recommended for promotion, it should be to the position of Prefect of Guangling or Chancellor of Langya, not directly to the level of Governor. Besides, although Yuanlong has always supported our lord, he is still the leader of the powerful families of Xuzhou. Our lord's actions could easily be interpreted as him yielding to the powerful families of Xuzhou, and then all our efforts to check and balance the powerful families of Xuzhou would have been in vain."

Lu Wan knew that Chen Deng and Liu Bei were good brothers, but this wasn't for their brother's good at all; it was putting him in a very difficult position. If Chen Deng became the governor of Yangzhou and helped Liu Bei suppress the people of Xuzhou, he would offend the powerful families of Xuzhou; if he helped the families, he would be betraying Liu Bei. Rather than putting Chen Deng in a moral dilemma later, it was better not to scheme against him in the first place.

"Not only that, but when you make a memorial, you should not mention those who are close to you, such as those under your command. Otherwise, it may give others something to criticize."

In fact, Liu Bei could have done this after the incident of the imperial edict in the belt. He would have had an explanation at the time, saying that the court was now controlled by Cao Cao, and that punishments and rewards were not the emperor's will. In fact, the emperor would definitely agree to let him recommend his subordinates for a certain official position. Since the emperor could not contact him now, he would let this person take office first, so as not to delay various important matters due to the lack of officials.

But the time hasn't come yet, and Liu Bei hasn't even gone to serve under Cao Cao, so how could he know about this?

At this point, Chen Qun also put forward a person he favored: "What do you think of Liu Ji, the eldest son of the late Governor of Yangzhou, Liu Yao?"

Liu Zhengli himself is a model of the gentry who resisted Yuan Shu's invasion. If we recommend his son to succeed as governor of Yangzhou, we can win the favor of scholars throughout the land, especially those in Jiangdong who yearn for the Han dynasty and are dissatisfied with Sun Ce's domineering style.

"Sun Ce originally seized the Jiangdong territory from his father. Doing this is tantamount to directly denying the legitimacy of Sun Ce's rule over Jiangdong. It can also greatly encourage and unite the remaining forces in Yangzhou who still support Liu Yao, as well as the powerful clans that were suppressed by Sun Ce, providing them with political support to resist Sun Ce."

"Moreover, this way, the lord's entry into Yangzhou would be as an assistant to the son of the deceased governor, restoring the order of the Han dynasty," making it easier for the locals to accept and preventing any criticism.

Liu Bei nodded, feeling that this was a good choice; it would allow him to expand his territory without damaging his reputation, which was quite in line with his expectations. He looked at Lu Wan, hoping to get her approval, and then he saw Lu Wan with her brows furrowed.

"What's wrong, Wen Yuan? Is this idea inappropriate?"

"In general, there's no problem, but the long article didn't consider three people."

"Who?"

"Liu Ji, Liu Biao, Sun Ce."

Lu Wan first made them pay attention to the three people, and then continued to explain why they should pay attention to these three people: "The first problem is that we can't drag Liu Biao into this. This move will greatly harm Sun Ce, but have little impact on Liu Biao. He will even become a spectator, watching from the sidelines as we fight Sun Ce to the death, and all the firepower will be drawn to us."

"Liu Ji's attitude is also worth considering. Although he has a good reputation everywhere, we have never met him, and his character and abilities are unknown. What should we do if he is unwilling to cooperate with us, or if he wants to turn against us after defeating Sun Ce?"

Lu Wan had hardly seen any records of Liu Ji in her previous life, so she was instinctively wary of such an unfamiliar person.

"And most importantly, a man of Sun Ce's character would never sit idly by and wait to die. Once our army prepares to support Liu Ji, Sun Ce is likely to use every means at his disposal to eliminate Liu Ji. Or, to be even more ruthless, he might request the court to summon Liu Ji to the capital as an official in order to govern Jiangdong, considering that Liu Yao died for the country. Cao Cao might agree in order to win over Sun Ce and counterbalance our army, which would be a waste of our efforts, like throwing a sweet word to a blind man."

Faced with multiple problems, Liu Bei suddenly felt that supporting Liu Ji was hopeless and said, "Then let's forget about it; the risk is too high."

The three of them had no choice but to start brainstorming again to think of a candidate.

Lu Wan suddenly had an extraordinary idea, like a fish in the water in ancient times suddenly deciding to come ashore and play. A plan to divide Jingzhou suddenly appeared in Lu Wan's mind.

"How about we recommend Liu Qi, Liu Biao's eldest son, to be the governor of Yangzhou?"

"Huh?" "Huh?"

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