Three Kingdoms: Start by buying a governor.

Ju Shou and Shen Pei are arguing.

"To the south, the Wuhuan prisoners are building irrigation canals... Two meals a day are enough!" Ju Shou pointed to the account book and said, "Any more and you'd give them three meals? We have plenty of provisions, but we can't waste them like this!"

Shen Pei, sticking his neck out, said, "Gongyu, those prisoners are doing heavy manual labor! How can two meals a day be enough? What if they starve to death? If word gets out that our lord is mistreating the prisoners, it will damage our reputation!"

"But three meals a day... that's too much of an expense!"

"Then two meals of dry rice, plus a bowl of thin porridge at noon! People need to have the energy to work!"

The two argued until their faces turned red.

Name: Shen Pei, courtesy name Zheng Nan

Gender: Male

Age: 28

[Strength]: 38

Command: 81

[Politics]: 85

[Intelligence]: 89

[Appearance]: 69cm

Special skills:

[Liezhi]: ......

[Loyalty]: Once they pledge allegiance to a lord, their loyalty is extremely high. They are very difficult to be alienated or persuaded to surrender, and they may be better able to stabilize morale in adversity.

...

At the entrance to the warehouse in the backyard, Cheng Yu was supervising the counting of the seized cattle and sheep. He held bamboo slips in his hand, checking each one, his eyes sharp as knives.

"How many sheep are there in this batch?" he asked the granary official.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, there are two thousand three hundred and fifty-seven."

"Three are missing," Cheng Yu said coldly. "There were 2,360 when they were put into storage yesterday. Investigate where the missing ones went."

The granary clerk, sweating profusely, said, "Sir, perhaps... perhaps we miscounted..."

"Missed the count?" Cheng Yu stared at him. "Then count again until you get it right. If you're missing one, I'll deduct a month's salary."

...

When Liu Ce sneaked into the governor's mansion, this was the scene of "bustling activity".

He crouched down, trying to go around, but was spotted by the sharp-eyed Xun Yu.

"My lord?" Xun Yu looked up and said, "Why didn't you announce your arrival?"

Oh no, I've been caught.

Liu Ce straightened up and chuckled twice: "Wenruo, busy? I just came to check on things..."

Ju Shou and Shen Pei came out when they heard the commotion.

Cheng Yu put down the bamboo slips and walked over.

In an instant, Liu Ce was surrounded.

"My lord, what do you suggest regarding the food standards for the Wuhuan prisoners?" Shen Pei asked first.

"My lord, please take a look at the distribution plan for the captured cattle and sheep." Cheng Yu handed over the bamboo slips.

"My lord..."

"My lord..."

Liu Ce was completely baffled.

He raised his hands and said, "Stop! One at a time!"

Then he spent half an hour resolving the prisoners' food standards and the distribution of cattle and sheep...

...

Liu Ce explained the medical school's plan, then called out, "Gongda and Zhongde, this is your job. Get the budget approved by Zhen Yi, choose the location as I suggested, and use the textbooks compiled by Mr. Zhang and Mr. Hua... Any problems?"

Xun You and Cheng Yu stood up at the same time: "Yes."

Name: Xun You, courtesy name Gongda

Gender: Male

Age: 29

[Strength]: 35

Command: 75

[Politics]: 94

[Intelligence]: 96

[Appearance]: 78cm

Special skills:

【Twelve Unexpected Strategies】: In each battle or at a specific stage, there is a chance to unleash unexpected tactics, such as significantly weakening the enemy's defenses, causing chaos, or directly inflicting heavy damage on the enemy.

[Strategist]: When serving as a military advisor or strategist, it can significantly increase the probability of the faction obtaining high-quality strategic proposals and reduce the risk of falling into traps.

【Tranquility】: When the army is in adversity (such as being cut off from supplies or being attacked), it can stabilize the morale of the troops and prevent the troops from collapsing or falling into chaos.

...

Name: Cheng Yu, courtesy name Zhongde

Gender: Male

Age: 45

[Strength]: 72

Command: 83

[Politics]: 90

[Intelligence]: 95

[Appearance]: 76cm

Special skills:

[Anticipating the Enemy's Moves]: Able to accurately judge the general trend of the world and the movement of enemy forces, and formulate the best strategy for one's own side.

[Exceptional Courage and Insight]: When one's own forces are at a significant disadvantage, one can not only stabilize morale and defend the city, but also use bluffing or a display of unwavering resolve to deter the enemy from attacking due to their superior numbers.

【Resolute】: Makes it difficult for his correct suggestions to be refuted, but also increases the probability of disagreements with other colleagues.

[Knowing When to Stop]: Being able to keenly perceive the risks of being too powerful and overshadowing one's superiors, and knowing when to retreat gracefully, thereby preserving oneself.

...

Xun You added, "My lord, besides Zhang and Hua, should we also recruit skilled doctors from the common people to teach at the medical academy?"

"Hiring! Hiring big pay!" Liu Ce waved his hand. "Anyone with real skills will be offered excellent compensation! Oh, and tell those doctors that their research findings while teaching at the medical school—such as new drug formulas or new therapies—can be patented, and the college will buy out the patent!"

Upon hearing this, Xun Yu looked up and said, "My lord, this talk of 'patent'..."

"It means whoever invents it owns it, and others have to pay to use it," Liu Ce explained. "That way, everyone will be motivated to research and develop it."

Guo Jia clapped his hands and laughed, "Brilliant! In this way, all the best doctors in the world will flock to us!"

...

Xun Yu said, "My lord, Cai Gong is handling the matter of enrolling the young people in school. So far, he has enrolled more than 800 Wuhuan youths, who are studying together with the Han children."

"Women marrying soldiers," Fang Xuanling flipped through the booklet, "More than a thousand Wuhuan women have voluntarily married unmarried soldiers in the army. According to the rules set by our lord, those who marry Han men will be given a settlement allowance and exempted from taxes for one year."

Liu Ce nodded in satisfaction.

Jia Xu's move was indeed vicious.

"Lu Bing has reported the Xianbei intelligence." Liu Ce spread the grassland map on the large table in the middle. "Take a look, everyone."

The crowd gathered around.

When they heard "120,000 riders", many people gasped in shock.

But Guo Jia laughed and said, "My lord, this is a good thing."

"Oh?" Liu Ce raised an eyebrow and said, "Fengxiao, tell me."

"If the Xianbei still had the 200,000 iron cavalry they had under Tanshihuai, we would have to think twice," Guo Jia said, pointing to the fragmented Xianbei tribes on the map. "But now they are divided into five parts, the strongest of which has no more than 30,000 men. We can completely..."

"Befriend distant states while attacking nearby ones, defeat them one by one," Xi Zhicai continued. "First, win over those who are far away, then attack those closest. The Xianbei in the east have just lost their ally, the Wuhuan, so they must be panicking—we can attack them first."

Ju Shou pondered for a moment and said, "But we must be wary of other Xianbei tribes taking the opportunity to launch a sneak attack."

"So we need to 'exchange' first," Xun You said. "Send envoys to the western Xianbei, the Kebineng tribe, and even the royal court to deliver gifts and discuss trade. They are currently fighting amongst themselves and are eager for someone to help weaken their rivals."

Liu Ce felt incredibly comfortable listening to everyone's chatter.

That's the advantage of having a group of advisors—you only need to set a general direction, and these smart people can come up with a dozen or more solutions for how to carry it out.

"This matter is not urgent," he finally decided. "We'll discuss it after the autumn harvest. Right now, the focus is on training troops, stockpiling grain, and consolidating the spoils of war."

All the strategists nodded in agreement.

Liu Ce glanced at the busy crowd and suddenly said seriously, "Everyone has worked hard. Youzhou's current state is entirely due to your dedication. I... cough cough, I'm going to my study to make strategic plans for Youzhou's future. You may continue."

After saying that, he turned and left with light steps. Liu Ce felt as if half of his brain cells had died.

"These people... are too greedy."

Fang Xuanling said with a wry smile, "My lord is... once again becoming a hands-off manager."

Du Ruhui also smiled and said, "Our lord often says, 'Professionals should do professional things.' Now that we are all doing our jobs, he can rest assured to plan the overall situation."

Xun Yu stroked his beard and said, "Our lord is adept at managing his subordinates. He may seem to be permissive, but he truly trusts them. We should do our utmost to uphold this principle."

Guo Jia muttered, "Our lord has gone off to slack off again..."

Xun Yu sighed, "Fengxiao, be careful with your words."

Xi Zhicai chuckled and said, "My lord is 'slacking off on the surface, but actually competing fiercely'."

Liu Ce stumbled and turned to glare at Xi Zhicai—he was the one who had let slip the words once!

...