My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 52 Running in both directions
Liu Bei was a kind person, and when he heard that Lu Su was going to give all these things to him, he immediately felt indebted.

After hesitating for a moment, Liu Bei still refused, saying, "Zijing, to be honest, the expenses in the state are indeed insufficient. I have tried every means to raise funds and money for the military farms."

Fortunately, the Mi family in the prefecture generously donated 100,000 shi of grain and 1 million coins worth of supplies to alleviate the urgent crisis.

"Zijing's actions are truly a timely help. Now that the supplies for the military settlements are complete, I appreciate your kindness. You can use these goods to purchase land in Tancheng and establish a manor."

Lu Su felt that something was off today, but he seemed to have gotten used to wave after wave of shocks.

He originally thought that the goods he brought, especially the five thousand shi of grain, would greatly alleviate Liu Bei's food shortage, which would be a timely help.

But now Liu Bei is refusing to accept it.

What's even more astonishing is that the Mi family actually sponsored Liu Bei with 100,000 shi of grain in one go.

Previously, Tao Qian had used the price of a minor official position to exchange 10,000 shi of grain from the Mi family when he established military farms.

Judging from this price, Liu Bei would only be worth so much grain and wealth if he ceded the position of governor to Mi Zhu.

Lu Su couldn't help but want to ask Mi Zhu what had gotten into him.

Although he was bitter inside, he still had to put on a righteous and solemn face and say, "My lord, these goods are just a token of my appreciation and a small contribution to your cause."

At this moment, Liu Feng spoke up: "Father, the more supplies for the military farms, especially grain, the better."

It is rare to find Mr. Zijing so sincere; if you insist on rejecting his kind intentions, you might hurt his feelings.”

With Liu Feng's support, Lu Su quickly agreed, saying, "What the young master says is exactly what Zijing (Lu Su's courtesy name) thinks!"

Liu Bei looked embarrassed: "If that's the case, then I feel ashamed to accept it."

Seeing that Liu Bei was willing to accept his gift, Lu Su breathed a sigh of relief.

If he can't send it out, Lu Zijing will lose face big time.

However, Liu Bei's feigned refusal was a proper procedure; Lu Su was simply overly nervous.

In truth, this was all Liu Feng's fault. It was because he did too much that Lu Zijing's plans were thwarted one after another, and he was so frightened that he lost his composure.

Then, Liu Bei said to Lu Su in a serious tone: "Zijing, I really want to give you an important position, but you are new here and it would be arouse the jealousy of petty people if I promoted you rashly."

Liu Bei spoke sincerely and earnestly.

Lu Su naturally couldn't be picky; on the contrary, he had to thank Liu Bei for his stance.

At least Liu Bei expressed that he personally admires you very much, but due to various reasons, he cannot directly put you in a high position. However, as soon as you make a contribution, he will promote you immediately.

Lu Su was already satisfied with such a statement.

Unexpectedly, Liu Bei's subsequent appointments greatly surprised Lu Su.

"Zijing, I intend to appoint you as the Agricultural Commandant or the Magistrate of Xiangben County. I wonder which position you prefer, and whether you would be willing to accept it?"

Lu Su was completely dumbfounded. They had agreed not to promote him, so how did such a huge windfall come his way?

Although the military officer in charge of agricultural settlements was only responsible for agricultural settlements, he was still a true military officer.

Even the lowest-ranking officer among the captains only received a salary of less than two thousand shi (a unit of grain).

But Lu Su was not short of money; what he lacked was an official position, a prestigious family background, and an opportunity to utilize his talents.

Let's see who was the last person to be appointed as the Agricultural Supervisor.
That's Chen Deng (Chen Yuanlong), a direct descendant of the Chen family, the most powerful clan in Xuzhou, and a leading figure among the younger generation.

After serving as the Agricultural Commandant, Chen Deng immediately transferred to Liu Bei's state office, where he became one of the four chief officials, holding the power to promote and demote officials in the state.

Lu Su only needs to follow the book and Chen Deng's footsteps step by step, and great achievements will surely await him. At that time, his position as a prefecture-level official with a salary of 1,000 shi will be secure.

The Lu family's social standing rose dramatically as a result.

Who will say that the Lu family is declining in the future?

Moreover, the magistrate of Xiangben County was a high-ranking official with a salary of 1,000 shi (a unit of grain), and was also the head of the county. In the Han Dynasty, the county magistrate had immense power, comparable to a marquis of a hundred li (a unit of land area), and could manage all affairs within the county.

In peacetime, given the Lu family's social standing, the position of county magistrate would be a prestigious official post that the Lu family could only dream of.

To be fair, both of these positions offer great opportunities for advancement in the US job market.

Before Lu Su arrived, he had also made some wild guesses, but based on his understanding, he could only think of a county magistrate or county commandant in a large county, or even a minor official or assistant in a prefecture.

He even considered seeking a key position next to the Agricultural Commandant, since land reclamation was a great achievement, and he was sure to reap rich rewards if he could join in.

But now, Liu Bei has directly slapped the position of Agricultural Commandant in his face, and even offered him the position of Magistrate of Xiangben County to choose from.

Lu Su's eyes reddened, and he was so excited that he could hardly contain himself.

This isn't just empty talk about valuing someone; it's concrete action.

Either of these positions would have been a cause for great concern, especially if Cao Cao hadn't just massacred Xuzhou and left the gentry in a state of panic.

Neither of these appointments will pass.

Even in the current situation, Liu Bei would face enormous resistance if he wanted to appoint Lu Su as the Agricultural Commandant.

But Liu Bei didn't care at all and showed great confidence.

At this moment, Lu Su finally realized that Liu Bei truly valued him and recognized his talents.

No other reason than the delicious aroma of the pancakes.

This high regard made Lu Su change his initial plan to bide his time, accumulate merits by Liu Bei's side, and then make a late but significant contribution.

Lu Su rose from his seat and bowed deeply in worship, saying from the bottom of his heart, "I, Lu Su, will certainly serve my lord with all my might, and I swear to do my utmost to ensure the success of the agricultural settlements and increase the lord's grain production."

Liu Bei was overjoyed and stepped forward to personally help Lu Su up. For a moment, both host and guest were happy.

Afterwards, Liu Bei specially prepared a banquet to welcome Lu Su back.

They also invited Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Mi Zhu, Chen Deng, Jian Yong, Tian Yu, Zhao Yun, Cao Bao, Xu Dan and others to accompany him, giving Lu Zijing a great deal of prestige.

During the banquet, Liu Bei patted Liu Feng on the back and said to him with emotion, "Fortunately, I have my son, Zijing."

Liu Feng feigned modesty, but inwardly he sneered, thinking, "This is nothing."

Lu Su's greatest skill wasn't farming; he was just a newcomer and deliberately hiding his abilities.

You won't have to wait too long. It will take at least ten days, or at most a month. Lu Su will definitely come to you with his grand strategy to show off.

In the early Three Kingdoms period, Liu Feng believed that there were only three and a half people in the world who could be called advisors to kings.

Zhou Yu can be considered half of them, but Lu Su is the complete one.

Let's see who the remaining two are.

Those would be Xun Yu, the number two figure in Cao Cao's camp, and Ju Shou, the number two figure in Yuan Shao's camp.

The reason is simple: they all proposed a grand strategy for their lords, formulated detailed plans to realize this grand strategy, and were able to successfully implement it, or at least partially implement it.

This is what you call a true advisor to a king.

Big Ears Bro, just wait and see what new surprises Lu Su will bring you.

I have two things to tell you guys.

The first thing is that the second update today will be very late, as I want to try and climb the weekly rankings next week.

The second thing is that tonight's ranking push will likely involve two consecutive updates.

The third thing is, if there aren't two consecutive updates tonight to boost the rankings, then there will definitely be an extra update tomorrow!
I hope all my dear readers will support me! Please continue reading, invest in my content, vote with your monthly tickets, and give me a reward. Thank you!

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(End of this chapter)