My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 58 Self-recommendation
In addition, Chen Qun personally recommended Zhang Zhao, Zhuge Xuan, Wang Rong, and others.

At Liu Feng's strong recommendation, Liu Bei sent people to recruit Zhang Zhao, intending to appoint him as Chief Administrator. However, Zhang Zhao politely declined the first recruitment attempt. Liu Bei then sent a second group of envoys to Guangling to recruit Zhang Zhao as Chief Administrator.

Judging from these actions, Chen Qun was still very considerate of Liu Bei.

Although Liu Bei did not heed his advice when they were in Yuzhou, he still followed Liu Bei to Xuzhou and continued to do his best to help Liu Bei gain a foothold, instead of complaining and saying things like "If you don't listen to me, you will regret it too late."

Here I must tag a certain strategist from Yuan Shao who particularly enjoys throwing tantrums and showing off his superiority.

The individuals in question are Mr. Feng and Mr. Shou, who wish to remain anonymous.

This was possible because, on the one hand, Chen Qun and his family had high hopes for and admired Liu Bei, and on the other hand, Chen Qun was kind and loyal by nature.

Chen Qun originally had a good reputation in history, especially his son Chen Tai, who was a minister in Cao Wei and whose family had many marquises. However, he first felt ashamed and angry about the Luoshui Alliance and asked to leave the country.

After Cao Mao was assassinated, he was not afraid of death and insisted that Sima Zhao execute Jia Chong to avenge Cao Mao's death.

That was the period when the Sima clan was at its most arrogant and ruthless.

Chen Tai dared to speak out so righteously, risking his life to do so; praising him as a loyal minister is no exaggeration.

Liu Bei's eyes were full of joy. Although he didn't know why Chen Deng recommended Chen Qun, the recommendation touched Liu Bei's heart.

With a mixture of joy and worry, Liu Bei feigned retreat and said, "Changwen is from Yuzhou..."

"Wouldn't this be better?"

Chen Deng interrupted Liu Bei with a smile: "Our dynasty has the Three Mutuals Law, and Changwen is the perfect candidate, both in terms of talent and background."

In simple terms, the Three Mutuals Law was designed to prevent local powerful clans from colluding with each other, growing too powerful, and eventually seizing control of their own territories. Therefore, the local officials had to be transferred from other places and could not be from the local area.

The higher the official's rank, the stricter the "Three Mutuals" law becomes.

For example, if a county magistrate is not from this county, even if he is from a neighboring county, he can barely get away with it.

However, a prefect must be from another prefecture.

At the prefectural level, the strictest enforcement required that no one from the prefecture be appointed as governor.

Chen Qun was born in Yuzhou, and he was able to serve as the governor of Xuzhou, which was very suitable for him.

Liu Bei glanced at Liu Feng, who nodded slightly, and then decided, "Alright, appoint Changwen as the governor of Jucheng Commandery."

Then, Liu Bei, still eager for more, asked, "Yuanlong, do you have any capable people to recommend for the position of Prefect of Dongguan?"

Chen Deng said passionately, "Dongguan County is bordered by Qingzhou to the north and Yanzhou to the west. There are powerful warlords on both sides. Only good generals and famous scholars can manage it."

In this post, he must defend the prefecture against Yuan Shao in the north and resist Cao Cao in the west, while also managing the prefecture, pacifying the people, and encouraging mulberry farmers.

The prefect of this prefecture is truly sitting atop a furnace; I, though unworthy, humbly offer my services to extinguish this cauldron for you!

Chen Deng's request to serve was truly inspiring and spirited. His bold words made Liu Bei and Liu Feng's blood boil.

"it is good!"

Liu Bei praised loudly, got up and walked to Chen Deng, knelt down and held his hand, saying, "Yuanlong is full of vigor and dares to be the first. He has shared my worries and solved my problems. How fortunate I am to have Yuanlong to assist me."

This was no joke; Liu Feng knew his father's words came from the bottom of his heart, and he wished he could tear his heart out and show it to Chen Deng.

Even Liu Feng himself was moved. It's true that there can be love and hate between people without any reason. Perhaps this is the nature of human compatibility.

Liu Bei and Chen Deng were considered to have excellent compatibility, while Cao Cao's compatibility with Chen Deng was probably not even passable.

Historically, Cao Cao could tolerate Zang Ba's control of Qing and Xu provinces, but he could not tolerate Chen Deng's two defeats of Sun Ce in Guangling County.

If Cao Cao had been more magnanimous and given Chen Deng more trust, he wouldn't have later lamented his failure to use Chen Deng's strategies earlier, which allowed the Sun family to grow powerful in Jiangdong.

Even the people of the Huai and Si regions suffered greatly under Cao Cao's rule.

Without Chen Deng, Cao Cao feared that the Sun family would once again march north and sweep through the entire Qing, Xu, Yan, and Yu provinces along the Guangling Commandery. So he resorted to his signature move – the demolition team.

Cao Cao emptied the entire population of Guangling County, leaving behind a desolate area stretching for hundreds of miles. Otherwise, why would Sun Quan have fought so fiercely against Hefei? He would have turned back to Guangling long ago.

"My lord! I am but a man of limited talent, with only a heart full of desire to serve you. How can I possibly deserve such high praise from you?"

Chen Deng returned the gesture by grasping Liu Bei's hand, his face filled with gratitude. There was no greater joy in such a meeting between ruler and subject.

The two were moved for a while, and then gradually calmed down.

Finally, Liu Bei couldn't help but sigh, "Yuanlong volunteered himself, how could I dare not accept? It's just that I'm reluctant to see Yuanlong go far away."

Chen Deng straightened his back and said, "My lord, do not worry. Dongguan is only a little over a hundred miles from Tancheng. As long as you give me your orders, I can return overnight."

Liu Bei nodded; in truth, he also strongly supported Chen Deng's suggestion.

Although the Gongcao held a high position and wielded great power, he was ultimately just a subordinate official, not the chief official.

The prefect was a high-ranking official with a salary of two thousand shi (a unit of grain), and was the chief official of the prefecture, in charge of the military and national affairs of the prefecture.

In the Eastern Han Dynasty, where the commandery was the home, the commandery governor was, in a sense, the king of the commandery.

Chen Deng was promoted from Gongcao (a minor official position) to prefect, which was a significant promotion, and even a promotion that bypassed several ranks.

In peacetime, such an event would be unprecedented, if not unprecedented, and certainly a major event that would cause a sensation in the region.

Liu Bei naturally hoped that Chen Deng could rise through the ranks and become a capable leader for him, so the matter was settled.

Liu Bei was still worried and asked with concern, "Yuanlong, Dongguan Commandery is in a crucial position, surrounded by dangers on all sides. How many troops do you intend to take with you to your post?"

Dongguan County was sandwiched between Yanzhou and Qingzhou, and was also plagued by local bandits and the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

Once Liu Bei takes Langya County, most of the troops under Zang Ba and others will definitely need to be reorganized and transferred. These people are all prisoners of war and surrendered soldiers. If they are left in the local area, they may cause a rebellion. They must be brought back to Tancheng to be dispersed and reorganized.

Therefore, relying on the few remaining soldiers of Langya County, whose reliability is also uncertain, is extremely difficult.

Liu Bei admired and cherished Chen Deng so much because he couldn't bear to see Chen Deng take such a risk.

Therefore, Liu Bei specifically wanted Chen Deng to take up his post with troops, so that he could easily suppress the powerful clans and drive away the harassment of bandits and the remnants of the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

Seeing how thoughtful Liu Bei was for him, Chen Deng, despite his confidence, was deeply moved. After a slight hesitation, he gladly accepted Liu Bei's kindness.

"I request that Your Excellency grant Deng five hundred soldiers, and Deng will ensure the safety of Dongguan."

"Five hundred is too little."

(End of this chapter)