Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 338 The Emperor's Dividing of Food and Auditing

After receiving the emperor's affirmation of his work during his term, Zhang Miao felt somewhat relieved, even relieved of a great burden. He bowed slightly and accepted the beef jerky offered by the emperor with composure. He tried his best to maintain the refined demeanor of a scholar and began to nibble on it in small bites.

Liu Bian glanced at Zhang Miao, his gaze calm yet carrying a subtle, almost imperceptible scrutiny. Only after watching Zhang Miao swallow the last bit of dried meat did a gentle smile appear on his face, and he asked, "This was personally pickled by my mother. How does it taste?"

A hint of surprise flashed across Zhang Miao's face; he had never expected that this was actually dried meat made by the Empress Dowager herself.

This was not yet the era in which cooking was considered "unkind" in later generations, but even so, the matriarchs of ordinary wealthy families would not cook themselves.

Only those concubines who use their beauty to please others need to put in some scheming in various ways in order to consolidate their position and win favor.

However, what's wrong with a mother of the nation cooking meat for her son who is about to embark on a long military campaign?
Therefore, the answer is self-evident. Zhang Miao replied from horseback, "Even dragon liver and phoenix marrow cannot compare!"

"When did Meng Zhuo learn to flatter like this?" Liu Bian chuckled upon hearing this, pointed at Zhang Miao from a distance with a hint of mockery in his tone, and then handed him a piece of dried meat.

Zhang Miao took the dried meat again, but this time he did not eat it immediately. Instead, he gently brought the dried meat to his nose and smelled it. Then he sighed, "It is not only the most precious ingredients and the most superb cooking techniques that make the finest delicacies. The Empress Dowager's love for her son is all gathered in this unassuming dried meat. This is the true love between mother and son, which those cold and heartless delicacies can never reach."

As a qualified scholar, Zhang Miao naturally knew that the emperor had always disliked the "hypocritical" mother-son relationship under the guise of etiquette and law, and naturally knew how to flatter this sincere mother-son relationship.

As for face?

That's nothing.

However, Zhang Miao suddenly froze, his hand holding the dried meat stopping in mid-air.

The emperor has always had the habit of sharing food, so who are the people who receive food from the emperor as a sign of affection?
Former Grand Commandant Yang Ci, former Minister of Works Zhang Ji, Grand Tutor Lu Zhi, Grand Commandant Yuan Pang... as well as young people who have recently entered the court.

So, what do these pieces of dried meat mean?
Is it acceptance by the core of power, or an opportunity for further advancement?

A barely suppressed sense of elation spread quietly through Zhang Miao's heart like a warm current, but he still tried his best to maintain a calm demeanor.

Of course, Liu Bian never made any political promises during the food distribution.

This is also Liu Bian's art of managing people.

Inexpensive dried meat is given a hidden value, similar to a brand effect, by being named after the Empress Dowager herself.

The value of gold, agate, and jade lies not only in their rarity and aesthetic appeal, but also in the favor they enjoyed by rulers.

When superiors have certain preferences, inferiors will follow suit. During the period when Liu Hong enjoyed riding in a donkey cart, an ordinary donkey in Luoyang was several times more expensive than a top-quality horse from Youzhou.

Or rather, Liu Bian's act of sharing the food resembled a pear being peeled by hand by a later Green Gang leader.

Receiving a pear peeled for you by that person doesn't necessarily mean you'll be given a prominent position in the future, but it at least shows that at this moment you've entered their field of vision and are receiving some attention and expectation.

The same applies to this dried meat.

Just as Zhang Miao was secretly delighted by this encounter and savoring its meaning, he heard the Emperor suddenly speak: "Can Meng Zhuo ride at high speed?"

Although Zhang Miao did not understand his meaning, he immediately composed himself, straightened his back, and replied loudly, "I was previously a Cavalry Commandant!"

The Cavalry Commandant, whose rank was equivalent to 2,000 shi, was nominally responsible for supervising the Imperial Guards Cavalry. However, Liu Bianchu had only taken over 1,800 Imperial Guards Cavalry, while the Cavalry Commandant quota was ten. Surely one person couldn't command 180 cavalry.
In reality, the position of Cavalry Commandant was merely a nominal post, mostly established during wartime. These officers possessed greater wartime autonomy than officers of the rank of Colonel of the Second Rank (or equivalent), and were often granted the power to recruit temporary soldiers.

But ultimately, he was a military officer, not a position that could be obtained solely through money and recommendations, and Liu Hong still had some sense of shame in this regard.

Liu Bian nodded slightly, clapped his hands and laughed, saying, "Good, dare you ride with me to the prefectural capital?"

Although Zhang Miao was timid, he also possessed a certain boldness in his nature; otherwise, he would not have been able to win the trust of so many scholars and heroes. He immediately clasped his hands in a fist and replied, "It is indeed my wish, I dare not ask you!"

Subsequently, all 2,000 elite cavalrymen from the five schools of the Left Guard were selected to accompany and protect the emperor, under the command of General Dian Wei of the Left Guard.

The remaining infantry were commanded by Fu Xie and Huangfu Yue, the son of Huangfu Song.

Although Dian Wei was the Left General of the Martial Guard, his primary duty was to protect the emperor.

As for the Left Guard Battalion, Dian Wei did not actually manage it in a very detailed way. Each school made its own decisions on military affairs, and only matters that could not be decided were reported to Dian Wei. Even so, Fu Xie and Huangfu Yue usually assisted in handling these matters.

Fu Xie and Huangfu Yue replaced Dian Wei in command of the five infantry units, with Dian Wei leading two thousand cavalry to protect the emperor. All of this was arranged according to a pre-arranged plan, and had been practiced many times in advance.

The current central army does not need generals who are good at commanding troops, nor does it need generals who are brave.

The battle formations were rehearsed in advance, and contingency plans were also practiced for many battlefield scenarios such as ambushes, food shortages, being surrounded, forced marches, and covering the rear.

As long as rewards are given and punishments are carried out faithfully, one can lead such an army to achieve remarkable results on the battlefield.

Before the expedition, Lu Zhi, the Grand Tutor, led the Central Guard Army and personally went to the drill ground of the Left Guard Camp to rehearse the plans. The plans that were most frequently practiced were the rearguard and the rapid march.

In other words, the infantry would form ranks in place to draw the enemy's attention and cover their retreat, while the cavalry would immediately escort the emperor in a hasty retreat. Of course, Lu Zhi naturally did not want this contingency plan to ever be needed, but as the Grand Tutor, he had to be fully prepared.

Even if something unexpected happens and the army that was sent to punish the rebels is defeated, as long as the emperor is still alive, the State of Chen will remain just a minor ailment.

The elite cavalry of the central army advanced extremely quickly, marching 25 li in a wedge formation, and arrived at the outskirts of Chenliu City, the prefectural capital, in just half an hour.

Twenty-five li is not far, but it's not exactly close either.

Besides the emergency plans that have been practiced countless times and the tacit understanding, organization, and physical fitness of the guards, the most crucial factor is the warhorse.

Besides rare and famous horses such as the Ferghana horse and the Akhal-Teke horse, the main breeds of warhorses in the Han Dynasty were the Liangzhou horse, the Youzhou horse, and the Bingzhou horse.

Liangzhou horses have excellent endurance and adaptability, making them suitable for long-distance riding.

Youzhou horses are extremely fast in short sprints, but have poor endurance and are best suited for plains terrain.

Bingzhou horses are essentially well-rounded all-rounders, with good endurance, good short-distance sprint speed, and good adaptability.

The central army's cavalry was configured with one rider and three horses. According to regulations, this meant one horse each from Liangzhou, Youzhou, and Bingzhou. However, since this battle was fought in the Central Plains, the configuration consisted of two Youzhou horses and one Bingzhou horse carrying some supplies. The horses used for the short, rapid march of twenty-five li were Youzhou horses.

Upon reaching the city walls, with Prefect Zhang Miao accompanying them, even if someone failed to recognize the emperor's entourage immediately, no one would dare refuse to open the city gates.

Few would repeat the old practices of the Xiliu Camp, and one should not overestimate the tolerance of emperors.

Only when the emperor needs something from you is it considered strict military discipline; otherwise, it would be a serious crime of disrespect when it comes to settling scores later.

However, Liu Bian did not intend to enter the city, as this had been agreed upon beforehand.

Even if the emperor intends not to disturb the people when he enters the city, it will inevitably cause trouble for their lives.

Once Liu Bian left his temporary residence in the city, his entourage blocked the roads, and officials would close off certain areas. Therefore, Liu Bian simply lived outside the city.

However, it was not a military camp, but a family mansion outside the city, with seven courtyards, enough to house his accompanying officials.

Liu Bian didn't need to worry about the impact of staying at this house, since the owner of the house was surnamed Lu, the Lu of Lu Cui.

Why did my close advisors invite the emperor and his officials to stay in a seven-courtyard house while I was touring the country?
Almost immediately upon arriving in Chenliu, Zhang Miao's subordinates busied themselves delivering all the pre-sealed and prepared account books to the temporary camp and handing them over to the capable officials accompanying the army.

This group of officials were mostly borrowed from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Maritime Trade Office. They dealt with numbers all day long and had an extremely strong sensitivity to numbers.

Upon checking the account books, Liu Bian roughly understood why Zhang Miao had been so apprehensive when he first met him.

The deficit of Chenliu County before the seventh year of Guanghe (184 AD) was indeed shocking. Official land and public land were mysteriously lost into the pockets of powerful families. There was tax evasion, population concealment, and various exorbitant taxes levied under the guise of the imperial court.

However, Liu Bian did not intend to delve into the past, as this was the prevailing trend throughout the Han Dynasty at that time.

Although the officialdom was inherently corrupt, if Liu Hong hadn't openly accepted bribes to buy official positions, forcing officials to exploit the people even more ruthlessly in order to recoup their losses, it would have been a case of "draining the pond to catch all the fish."

The events of that year involved a wide range of people, and everyone was at fault. There are very few people in the world whose hands are clean. He couldn't possibly kill all the officials in the country, could he?

However, the fact that past actions have been forgiven does not mean that after he came to power and stopped accepting bribes for official positions, there will still be people who outwardly comply but inwardly defy him and continue to exploit the people.

In the seventh year of Guanghe, Liu Bian experienced the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the Qiang Rebellion in Liangzhou, the Xiongnu Rebellion in Bingzhou, and the Taishan County Rebellion. He was able to tolerate these rebellions before Liu Bian officially ascended the throne.

Therefore, Liu Bian ordered his officials to focus their audit on the account books from the first year of the Han Dynasty to the present, a period of one and a half years.

However, the audit results gradually darkened Liu Bian's expression.

The hole left by the former governor of Chenliu, Cheng Feng, was not small either!
From the beginning of the first year of the Hanxing era to October of the same year, a total of more than 30 hectares of official and public land were resold, which is more than 3,000 mu. What Liu Bian found most disgusting was that this fellow, in order to achieve political achievements, actually falsely reported the number of newly reclaimed lands. He even used this to classify some of the lands of aristocratic families as newly reclaimed wasteland and thus granted them tax exemptions.

“Good, very good!” Liu Bian’s fingers slammed heavily on the ledger, making a dull sound, and he said in a cold voice.

Then there's nothing more to say, just grab his head!

The Han Dynasty traditionally carried out executions in the autumn. In this bleak autumn season, it would be a waste not to kill some people, especially since it was such a good season. Liu Bian didn't even need to bother with complicated procedures, as the evidence was conclusive and sufficient to secure a verdict.

Therefore, within a few days of the audit, the number of officials dragged out of that seven-courtyard compound and publicly executed at the makeshift execution ground quickly rose to double digits.

The autumn wind swept across the execution ground, swirling up withered leaves and carrying a hint of blood, sending chills down one's spine.

The officialdom in Chenliu was also shrouded in fear.

At the same time, a fast horseman arrived from the south with a report of victory!

(3335 words)
(End of this chapter)