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Following Liu Zhaoqing back to the Baixi Tower, Liu Zhaoqing walked so fast that even Liu Bei had to quicken his pace to keep up.

"Zhao Qing, how can you make such a promise so directly?!"

After returning to the Baixi Building, Liu Bei said anxiously: "A real man must not break his word. If your newly established reputation is ruined again, wouldn't it be a pity!"

"So I have to fulfill my promise." Liu Zhaoqing said with a smile.

Then he asked Bo Cai who came down after hearing the noise, "A Cai, please go find my wife and ask her to go to the county magistrate's mansion."

"Guorang, go tell Xianhe to write another letter to the people, saying, 'Today at 3:00 pm, the county magistrate and Qingfu Liu Zhaoqing will inform the people about the disaster relief at the gate of the county magistrate's mansion.'"

Tian Yu, who had just come in, was stunned for a moment, then subconsciously bowed, said "yes", and hurried to do as he was told.

Bo Cai on the other side also immediately set out to look for Zhang Jiao.

Then Liu Bei saw Liu Zhaoqing walk into the hall on the first floor, find paper and pen, go to the table and write something on the paper.

Liu Bei took a closer look and discovered that what Liu Zhaoqing had written were all circles and vertical lines, which she could not understand at all.

"Zhao Qing, what are you doing?"

"calculate."

"calculate?"

"Hmm." Liu Zhaoqing quickly multiplied, divided, added and subtracted, and after estimating, he looked thoughtful: "It seems to be just about right, with a lot left over."

"what?"

Before Liu Bei understood what Liu Zhaoqing was saying, Liu Zhaoqing stood up and walked outside.

"Sister Xuande, come with me to the county magistrate's mansion. It's not far from dusk now."

Not long after, Liu Zhaoqing and Liu Bei arrived at the county magistrate's mansion together.

Zhang Jiao just happened to arrive.

When Liu Zhaoqing was about to speak after they met, Zhang Jiao nodded and said, "Acai and my daughter have already told me, Qingjun, go and do it."

A friend who understands you doesn't need to say much.

A warm feeling surged in his heart, and Liu Zhaoqing nodded to Zhang Jiao, then entered the county magistrate's mansion.

Then he said to Baoer who was beside Zhang Jiao, "But I'd like to trouble Baoer to do a detailed calculation. It seems that our account books have been washed away. I don't know if it's too late."

"Don't worry, Patriarch. Do you still need to worry about my arithmetic ability, Baoer? I'm the one who manages the accounts at Baixi Building. I've been using the multiplication and division algorithms that the Patriarch taught me for four or five years." Baoer, who came with Zhang Jiao, was very confident.

Liu Zhaoqing laughed twice and then said to Liu Bei, "I'll have to trouble Sister Xuande to call the officials from each street to report the approximate number of people affected and the situation."

"Ah? Okay." Liu Bei nodded, as if he understood what Liu Zhaoqing wanted to do.

But that's... too much, right? Although he was very surprised and suspicious, Liu Bei still ordered his men to recall the statistical officials.

Liu Zhaoqing then asked for paper and pen, gave them to Baoer, and began to say, "First, let's roughly calculate the number of brave men recruited and the rewards given to the righteous men. These must not be deducted, otherwise it will chill the enthusiasm of the righteous men."

"Okay." Baoer nodded.

Then Liu Zhaoqing said to Liu Bei, "Sister Xuande, I may have to trouble you to gather most of the soldiers and officials of the county magistrate's office to go to other places later."

"Going out of town?"

"Yes, we have to be quick. We may have to set off tonight." After saying that, Liu Zhaoqing continued to let Baoer count. He said the numbers while Baoer did the addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

At this time, Liu Bei, who was still confused, looked at Zhang Jiao. Zhang Jiao's eyes were always on Liu Zhaoqing. She didn't say anything, but it was better than a thousand words.

As if feeling her gaze, Zhang Jiao actually turned her head to look at her, then smiled and nodded at her.

For some reason, Liu Bei felt a little awkward.

About half an hour later, the noise outside the county magistrate's mansion became increasingly noisy.

All the victims who heard the letter of appeal were rushing here, not only the victims but also the people of Pingyuan County who were not severely affected by the disaster, and many heroes from Hebei also rushed here.

Even Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, who were working outside, and Zhao Yun, who was being received, came to the county magistrate's mansion upon hearing the news.

However, when they all saw the busy sounds of Liu Zhaoqing and others in the county magistrate's mansion, they all refrained from disturbing them.

Long before that, statistical officials from various streets had returned one after another to report on the disaster situation.

In front of the hall of the county magistrate's mansion, the table was already piled with papers. Baoer's forehead was sweating, but he still didn't dare to stop.

Liu Zhaoqing nodded to the little girl, and the little girl understood and went to get a towel.

"Okay!" After writing the last stroke, Baoer straightened up and handed the paper in his hand to Liu Zhaoqing.

"Master, take a look!"

After taking a quick look, Liu Zhaoqing was silent for a moment and then smiled.

"It's a little different from what I estimated, but not too much."

Then he took the towel handed to him by the little girl and gave it to Baoer: "Thank you for your hard work, Baoer, let me take care of the rest."

Then, Liu Zhaoqing walked out of the county magistrate's mansion under the gaze of everyone.

"Mr. Liu!!"

"Mr. Liu! Save us!"

……

As soon as Liu Zhaoqing appeared, he was met with tears and complaints.

Zhang Fei on the side was about to ask everyone to be quiet, but Liu Bei and Guan Yu stopped him with a look.

At this time, Liu Zhaoqing also raised his hand and said, "Everyone, please be quiet for a moment."

Although his voice was not as loud as Zhang Fei's and was almost a whisper, the effect was particularly good and the scene immediately became quiet.

"I know everyone's situation, and I know this disaster is not over yet. Many people have lost their loved ones and their homes."

Liu Zhaoqing sighed softly: "The heavens are ruthless. Those who are lost cannot come back. Those who are alive need to cherish their lives even more."

"I think everyone has heard about the situation in Pingyuan County. Seven out of ten grain warehouses in the county were destroyed by the flood. More than 2,800 households in and around the county had their houses destroyed or were injured or disabled."

"We are aware of all this and will do our best to help everyone through this difficult time."

"Then... Lord Liu, how are you going to help us? Or are you going to do what you did before? Give up some of the people?"

"That's the only way. This isn't the first time I've experienced a disaster. The government has done this in previous famine years."

……

"No." Liu Zhaoqing shook his head.

"This time we have to save everyone who is still alive."

"Everyone? How...how is this possible?"

Not to mention that the people didn't believe it, even Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Liu Bei who were beside Liu Zhaoqing didn't quite dare to believe it.

“I will pay to repair the houses destroyed by the flood.”

Liu Zhaoqing did not respond to the question, but continued.

"I will also invest money to buy food and medicine from other counties to feed and treat everyone."

"I will also provide money to reward ordinary people who come to help the people during the disaster, as well as brave men and all the righteous people who come to rescue the people."

“There will be no shortage of these.”

The crowd gathered in front of the county magistrate's mansion suddenly fell silent.

At this time, a beautiful fair-skinned woman with a high ponytail in the crowd raised her hand and said, "Well... Mr. Liu, this is extremely expensive... Can it really be done?"

It was the woman he had saved, Liu Zhaoqing smiled.

“Isn’t this what everyone wants to ask?”

"I have just calculated with Magistrate Liu, and we can just afford the promises I made earlier."

"'Just right'?" The female warrior from Yanmen heard the word, "Could it be that Mr. Liu..."

Liu Zhaoqing nodded slightly with a faint smile on his face: "'Just right' means that if I sell all my property, I can save the people of Pingyuan."

Suddenly, the entrance to the county magistrate's mansion exploded like a frying pan.

Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and others were also extremely surprised, and Zhao Yun was almost the same.

"Zhao Qing, you've given away all your family fortune! What do you have left?!" Zhang Fei said immediately, his voice sounding a little anxious.

Although she had done such things before, her assets were nothing compared to Liu Zhaoqing's.

Moreover, she came to support her elder and second sisters out of sisterhood and as a "debut fee" for the three of them, but Liu Zhaoqing was simply throwing money into the fire.

"I leave behind my wife, maids, servants, the friendship of the county magistrate and his officials, and the respect of the people. That is enough."

"Don't be surprised or worry about me." Liu Zhaoqing still had a smile on his face.

"As the saying goes, 'all the money you spend can be repaid.'"

“Money is valuable if it is used where it should be used.”

After these words were spoken, everyone present's admiration for Liu Zhaoqing reached a new level.

Afterwards, some victims came to Liu Zhaoqing in tears and wanted to shake his hand in person to thank him. This time Liu Zhaoqing did not refuse or avoid it, but accepted it with a smile.

"Even if I spend all my money, it can come back again..." The female county official from Yanmen who was saved by Liu Zhaoqing repeated this sentence softly.

Looking at Liu Zhaoqing who was surrounded by poor people, she seemed to understand something.

Looking at Liu Zhaoqing, she placed her right hand on her chest and sighed softly: "They spent all their wealth not to raise an army to dominate or to seize power, but just to help ordinary people. Liao... I have never seen such a thing in my life."

Chapter 55 Zhang Liao

Half an hour after he announced the distribution of his wealth at the county magistrate's mansion, he was on the third floor of the Baixi Tower.

Liu Zhaoqing walked into the bathroom again and took off his dirty clothes.

Less than two hours after returning from slaying the dragon, Liu Zhaoqing changed his clothes twice. However, compared to the first time, Liu Zhaoqing was happier the second time.

Although in the eyes of almost everyone, Liu Zhaoqing's act of spending all his family wealth to save the people was too incredible and unbelievable.

After all, the last person who did this was probably six or seven hundred years ago. It has almost become a legend. Ordinary people have never seen such a scene.

But if the money can solve the difficulties of all the victims in Pingyuan County, then for Liu Zhaoqing, it is naturally worth it, and he cannot just watch these difficulties happen before his eyes.

Now that we have made up our minds to make "Yellow Turbans" a name that means "the people", we must act now.

Of course, he didn't have to do this. Throughout history, there has always been a place in China that has not been free from disasters.

The common people have long been accustomed to the government's or local government's practice of "saving princes and nobles first, then the aristocratic families, finally the officials, businessmen and relatives, and only at the very end will they remember to save the common people."

Even if Liu Zhaoqing said nothing and Liu Bei made a choice, it would not cause much waves.

Otherwise, no one would have asked the county magistrate and Liu Zhaoqing whether they were going to give up some people.

In this era, or from ancient times to the present, not many people are willing to give up their own interests to do something that brings almost no benefit to themselves.

Especially in the mythical late Han Dynasty when the chaotic times have not yet begun, compared with ordinary people, the eunuchs, relatives and royal family members of the dynasty are the officials and powerful rulers, and they are the most eager and favorite forces to win over.

Even if one cannot get close to these three most powerful and vigorous forces, one should at least try to curry favor with the already large and prosperous aristocratic forces.

If word of Liu Zhaoqing's actions were to get out, it would not only cause a huge uproar among ordinary people, but would also make him a laughing stock among his maternal relatives and royal family. In the eyes of most of the gentry, it would become a boring topic of conversation, and most scholars would admire it on the surface, but in their hearts they would shake their heads, or despise it as a foolish act, and characterize him as not a heroic act.

After all, in today's era, most normal ambitious people would not think that they could gain a place for themselves in this decadent Han Dynasty full of outstanding people by relying on ordinary people who can only hoe the fields.

However, this is also the advantage of Liu Zhaoqing and Zhang Jiao. Only Liu Zhaoqing knows how powerful the power of the people is.

Not to mention that Liu Zhaoqing is also a person who is well versed in history.

"It is already February of 189. The eunuchs and relatives of the emperor are about to fall, and the power of the royal family will be annexed and replaced by the princes. As for the aristocratic families... those truly talented and ambitious leaders will definitely not laugh at what I have done."

Liu Zhaoqing, sitting in the bathtub, holding the book, smiled gently.

What he did was consistent with his conscience and not foolish. Only those who laugh at him are fools.

At the same time, he also recalled the scene when he killed the dragon before, when strands of golden threads entered Zhang Jiao's Taiping Yaoshu and were then transmitted to his own book.

He raised his eyebrows again and pondered: "I felt the power contained in that golden thread before, which is at least comparable to that of two outstanding people... What if there are more threads?"

He understood that the essence of the Taiping Jing was to bring peace to the people, and that the people were also an important source of its strength.

He is definitely on the right path.

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