The Three Kingdoms: Zhaolie, the strategist, and the rise of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 39: Only virtue and morality can win the hearts of others (Please read!)

Taishi Ci cooperated with Liu Bei and successfully repelled the Yellow Turban Army that besieged Beihai.

After that, about a year or two later, he went to find Liu Yao in Yangzhou and never came back.

During the one or two years in between, Taishi Ci neither joined Kong Rong nor Liu Bei.

The reason is related to his ambition.

Taishi Ci's ambition is:
——"A man should carry a seven-foot sword in his lifetime to ascend the steps of the emperor."

The ascension to the throne here certainly does not mean that Taishi Ci wants to become emperor, nor does it mean that he wants to assist Sun Quan in becoming emperor.

The rank of emperor he wanted to be promoted to was Liu Xie's rank of emperor.

That is to assist the Han Emperor and support the Han Dynasty.

This is also why Li Yi felt that Taishi Ci was very suitable for Liu Bei, because the two had the same ambitions.

But Liu Bei was just a subordinate of Gongsun Zan at that time, and was still far away from Taishi Ci's dream.

After Liu Bei became the governor of Xuzhou, he was troubled by the various aristocratic families in Xuzhou. How could he remember Taishi Ci, whom he had only met once?
As for Kong Rong, he was both ignorant and pedantic.

If you really encounter an emergency military situation, communication will be very difficult.

So in Taishi Ci's view at that time, it could help him realize this ideal.

The only one was his good friend from the same county, Liu Yao, a relative of the Han royal family who was officially appointed by the court as the governor of Yangzhou.

Of course, Taishi Ci was also a little cautious.

When he went to see Liu Yao, he just went to visit him as an old friend, instead of saying that he was coming to join him.

Sure enough, when Liu Yao was found, he had already started fighting with Sun Ce.

At that time, Taishi Ci had already gained some fame, and some people advised Liu Yao to appoint Taishi Ci as a general to resist Sun Ce.

But Liu Yao thought that if he used Taishi Ci, he would become a laughing stock in the circle of celebrities!

In the eyes of intellectuals like Liu Yao, Taishi Ci was just an errand boy and had no qualifications to be a general.

A similar situation also happened to Zhang Fei. No matter how these warriors respected these scholars, as long as you were of a low birth, people would always look down on you.

"Taishi Ci is now in Donglai taking care of his mother. Why don't you issue a conscription order and invite him to Xuzhou to serve as an official?"

Li Yi made a suggestion.

Liu Bei asked: "Military Advisor, what position should I be given?"

Li Yi said sternly: "Although Taishi Ci has no achievements, he has great ambitions and is a man of both civil and military talents. We cannot neglect him. We should promise him a high position, and only then will he come."

After a slight pause, he continued, "You may as well grant him the title of Sima of a separate department with a thousand stones. If there is such a position, Ziyi should come."

This is a military officer of high rank. Zhang Fei is Liu Bei's special military commander.

He is mainly in charge of military power and is of great value.

But this does not mean that if Taishi Ci is given the position of Sima of a separate army, he will really be able to be on equal footing with Zhang Fei.

Because the biggest advantage of this official position is its flexibility, it is equivalent to an extra-establishment military commander.

Although he is not as powerful as a general, he has independent military command authority.

The size of your power depends entirely on how many soldiers you have.

Therefore, for Taishi Ci, who is still unemployed, this is absolutely full of sincerity.

"My lord, Taishi Ziyi is loyal, wise and brave. If we miss him now, we will regret it too late."

Seeing that Liu Bei did not make up his mind immediately, Li Yi once again gave him some encouragement.

He knew what Liu Bei was hesitating about.

For someone who has no qualifications in the military and is about to be appointed as a high-ranking official of a separate department, it is a huge pressure.

Someone like Li Yi was at least a civil servant and had made contributions before.

Taishi Ci had never worked hard under Liu Bei and had never made any achievements. In the military, where seniority and achievements are the most important, it was difficult for him to win the support of the people.

But in Li Yi's view, merit and qualifications can be earned slowly and diligently.

What is being done now is nothing more than lending a Sima of a separate department to Taishi Ci in advance.

The risk taken is nothing more than betting on whether Taishi Ci really has the talent of a great general and whether he can really achieve great things in the future.

Li Yi was standing from a God's perspective, so of course he had nothing to worry about.

Liu Bei, however, took the perspective of a lord and had to consider the overall situation.

He not only had to judge Taishi Ci's talent based on his only encounter with him, but also had to trust Li Yi's ability to judge people. After a moment, Liu Bei nodded:
"Okay, let's follow what the military advisor says."

"I ordered Xianhe to draft a petition to recruit Taishi Ci, offering him the post of Sima of a separate department, and ordering him to go to Donglai to recruit Taishi Ci."

Well?
Li Yi smiled slightly. He didn't expect Liu Bei to be so decisive in such matters.

Liu Bei knew what Li Yi was thinking, so he explained:

"I am not afraid of being laughed at by the military advisors. I do not have much talent, but I know that only virtue and morality can win the hearts of others."

"I treat others with sincerity, and they will treat me with sincerity."

"Taishi Ziyi was highly recommended by the military advisor, and I have met him once before."

"He wanted to do what was right and asked for help from Bei. His loyal character can be seen."

"If he can work together with Bei, why worry about not accomplishing great things?"

Hearing this, Li Yi laughed out loud.

This was exactly what he expected to hear.

Liu Bei had a hot temper, and sometimes when he got angry, no one could stop him.

For example, after Liu Bei entered Shu, during a battle with Cao's army, the situation was unfavorable and he should have withdrawn his troops immediately.

However, Liu Bei was furious and refused to withdraw his troops, and no one dared to persuade him.

At that time, arrows were raining down, and Fa Zheng stood in front of Liu Bei.

Liu Bei was so shocked that he shouted, "Xiaozhi, avoid the arrow."

Fa Zheng said: "Even Ming Gong braved the rain of arrows, why should I hide?"

Liu Bei had no choice but to order a withdrawal.

It can be seen that sometimes we can try to think in the opposite way to deal with Liu Bei’s stubborn temper.

After Li Yi and Liu Bei decided on the candidates to be recruited, they were in good mood. They continued walking forward and came to a forest garden.

This garden was originally built by Tao Qian during his lifetime, and Liu Bei specifically left it to Li Yi.

Because Li Yi had been practicing in the mountains before, but now he was left in this square attic by Liu Bei, he felt guilty.

So he was given this fine garden as a kind of compensation.

"...Hehe, sir, what do you think of the scenery in this forest?"

Liu Bei asked with a laugh.

Li Yi answered without hesitation:
"The petals are in all colors, and the fragrance is intoxicating for miles. It is like a beautiful woman dancing with red sleeves of silk. It is a wonderful sight."

Liu Bei said happily:

"The gentleman has brilliant literary talent and is free and unrestrained."

"I came here early in the morning to talk with you, but it's almost noon. How about we have dinner together in this garden?"

When traveling, they ride in the same carriage; when sitting, they sit at the same table.

This is the unique treatment Li Yi receives from Liu Bei.

Li Yi had no reason to refuse, so he said:

"Okay, the peach blossoms here are of high quality. If we can use them as food, they will have a unique fragrance and sweetness."

Liu Bei said happily:
"Sir, you know how to eat?"

Li Yi smiled and said:

"I am a wild man in the mountains, I sleep by the eaves and live by the clouds, so I must know how to eat."

Liu Bei asked again:

"Peach blossoms cannot be eaten directly. I wonder what you would like to eat as a side dish?"

Li Yi replied:
"Of course, fine wine is the best match for it."

The two walked to the pavilion together, and Taohong stepped forward to offer the wine cup.

He bowed and said:
"I don't know what you would like to eat, sir. I will ask the cook to prepare it."

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(End of this chapter)