Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 346 The Art of Managing Subordinates
Chenliu Prefecture, outside Chenliu County, the Emperor's temporary residence

As Liu Bian read through Lü Bu's battle report, he was momentarily at a loss as to whether to rejoice at the sharpness of the armored cavalry or at Lü Bu's bravery.

But this is indeed one of the few pieces of good news we've had in a while.

During this period, Liu Bian killed people almost every day.

Although he didn't handle the situation personally, seeing so many shocking statistics still made Liu Bian feel quite depressed, and Lü Bu's report of victory became a good remedy.

After reading the battle report, Dian Wei was almost drooling with envy. He also longed to personally fight the enemy, like Lü Bu, leading hundreds of iron cavalry into battle, and then slaying generals, capturing flags, and so on.

But as one of the emperor's two personal guard generals, such an opportunity might only come once in a lifetime.

However, although Dian Wei was envious, he did not complain about it.

While he regretted not being able to showcase his bravery to the world, the emperor's kindness in recognizing his humble origins was something he could never repay in his lifetime.

He was willing to give up his empty fame for the safety of the emperor!
However, after reading the battle report, some people criticized Lü Bu's behavior.

"The nation, General Xiaoji is indeed brave, but leading hundreds of iron cavalry into battle is ultimately a risky move. If the horse stumbles, the Xiaoji camp will be in danger, and it will also affect the morale of the army and even the entire battle situation."

It was Shen Pei who spoke. Liu Bian glanced at him slightly, but did not reprimand him.

There was nothing wrong with Shen Pei's advice.

As a general of the elite cavalry with a rank of 2,000 shi, he should not have risked his life, and many old habits of charging into battle should be gradually abolished.

The Later Han Dynasty mostly fought defensive battles and small-scale operations. Therefore, the bravery of an individual could often influence the course of the war. Often, a fierce general could lead a few hundred cavalry to defeat the enemy's main force, behead them, seize their banner, and return.

However, after Liu Bian came to power, both the size of the army and the intensity of the war gradually increased, and the role that individual bravery could play was extremely limited.

For Lü Bu, a valiant cavalry general, it was enough to command armored cavalry to tear apart and rout the rebel army's formation; personally leading three hundred cavalry into battle, beheading generals, and capturing flags was merely icing on the cake.

But if the battle is won, there's no need to be overly critical of many things; this is not the correct way for a ruler and his subjects to interact.

"Kongming, grind the ink for me."

Liu Bian called out to Hu Zhao, who was standing to the side, and prepared to write a private letter to Lü Bu. Naturally, a private letter could not be written by someone else.

Hu Zhao did not say much, but slowly knelt down beside the emperor.

"I have heard of your great victory at Fengxian, where you personally led three hundred elite cavalry into battle, slaying generals and capturing flags, displaying the awe-inspiring might of a tiger. However, warfare is fraught with danger; I wonder if you are well? If you are unwell, you should take good care of yourself and not underestimate the severity of your scabies. The villains of Chen are not worth mentioning; even if the entire Chen were to be exchanged for a single hair of yours, I would not accept it. I only hope that you will take good care of yourself."

In the Battle of Xu County, the elite cavalry beheaded 18,000 and captured 8,000, while your 6,000 elite cavalry only lost 100 men and 300 horses. This shows that you are skilled in training soldiers and adept at commanding troops. In the past, Marquis Yi of Yingyin (Guan Ying) led his cavalry across the land. Now, seeing your demeanor, it is as if Marquis Yi of Yingyin has been reincarnated. I am very pleased.

However, great generals of old relied not only on bravery but also on strategy. What I hope for in you is not necessarily to emulate the talent of the Marquis of Yingyin, who served as both general and prime minister, but only to deeply study military strategy and practice warfare extensively. While defeating the enemy in battle is commendable, personally braving arrows and stones is not a sustainable strategy. Even Xiang Yu, though unparalleled in bravery, never led the charge in every battle. If you can heed my words and diligently study military tactics, the nation will be fortunate, and I will be greatly pleased. Strive for it! Strive for it!

Gao Wang, who was serving nearby, saw things clearly. While everyone was focused on Lü Bu's achievements, only the emperor was concerned about Lü Bu's health. He said that even the conquest of the entire Chen Kingdom was not as important as his safety, and finally used the example of Marquis Yi of Yingyin to persuade Lü Bu.

Although the letter repeatedly refers to Lü Bu as "朕" (the imperial "I"), the wording and tone clearly indicate that Lü Bu is being treated as a close friend, showing no trace of an emperor treating a subject.

The emperor's skill in governing his subjects became increasingly adept.

Of course, Liu Bian's willingness to treat Lü Bu in this way was largely due to Lü Bu's own reasons.

In this life, Lü Bu is exceptionally simple-minded, and has never even taken a concubine. As a true general of the cavalry with a salary of two thousand piculs, a favorite general of the emperor, and the Marquis of Wanshou with a fief of a thousand households, countless people in the court and the countryside would love to send their own daughters to Lü Bu's bed, even if it's just to get the title of concubine, as long as they can become related to Lü Bu by marriage.

But Lü Bu always kept his original intentions and was not blinded by the allure of Luoyang.

He didn't demand that Lü Bu not take concubines; rather, he was concerned that Lü Bu hadn't abandoned his wife who had shared hardships for the sake of wealth, nor had he been tempted by beautiful women to take in many concubines. This unwavering loyalty and deep affection, along with his ability to remain undisturbed by worldly pleasures, were the key reasons why Liu Bian always maintained his trust in Lü Bu.

However, the matter of Lü Bu was just a minor episode; the matter of Chenliu Commandery was Liu Bian's most pressing concern at the moment.

"Gongyu".

Liu Bian looked at a scholar sitting in the middle seat on the right and called out softly.

Upon hearing the emperor's summons, Xuan Fan immediately put down his wolf-hair brush, disregarding the ink dripping from it in his haste, which meant he had to abandon the official document he had been working on for so long. He rose from his seat, bowed, and said, "Your subject is here!"

Liu Bian looked at Xuan Fan, then gestured to Gao Wang. Gao Wang immediately handed him a document, saying, "Gongze recommended you, the Clerk of the Court of Justice, to serve by my side and advise me on the law. Gongze is one of my trusted men, so I am willing to trust you as well. You may be able to share my burdens?"

Xuan Fan's ancestor was Xuan Yi, the 112th founding meritorious official of the early Han Dynasty and the Marquis of Tujun. Xuan Yi was also the second Minister of Justice of the Han Empire. Therefore, the Xuan family has passed down the family's judicial tradition for generations.

Xuan Fan's position was Clerk of the Court of Justice, with a salary of 300 shi (a unit of grain), and he was responsible for assisting the Court of Justice in handling cases.

If the Court of Justice had a case that needed to be reported to the Emperor, the Court of Justice's clerk would be responsible for sorting out the case, compiling materials, and going to the local area on behalf of the Court of Justice to try important local cases together with the prefect.

Now that Guo Tu is acting as the Chief Justice of the Court of Justice, Xuan Fan will naturally assist Guo Tu.

Xuan Fan was naturally a model of a cruel official, as he was able to become Guo Tu's capable assistant. However, Xuan Fan, who was thirty-five years old this year, had a dignified appearance and a refined demeanor. Even his voice was exceptionally gentle. You would never guess that he was the fourth-in-command of the Court of Justice, let alone a cruel official.
However, in history, Xuan Fan eventually became the Minister of Justice, and he was appointed by Dong Zhuo.

He didn't do anything particularly significant. However, at the beginning of his term, when Dong Zhuo was planning to move the capital to Chang'an, he was ordered by Dong Zhuo to submit a memorial requesting the dismissal of Minister Yang Biao and Grand Commandant Huang Wan on the grounds of natural disasters.

Then, while they were at it, they wiped out the Yuan clan members from Runan in the capital, arrested Grand Tutor Yuan Kui, Grand Master of the Palace Yuan Ji, and the families of Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu in the capital, and imprisoned and killed more than fifty people, including mothers, sisters, and infants.

Not a big deal.

After Xuan Fan stood up and opened the document Gao Wang had handed him, Xuan Fan's face froze, then turned bright red. In a fit of anger, he almost threw the document to the ground, shouting, "How dare they do this?"

The document contained little information, except that it revealed that several families in Chenliu County still had some unreported private mines operating after the salt and iron industries were taken over by the government, and that they were selling copper and iron artifacts within the territory of Chen State.

Since the first year of the Han Dynasty's founding, Liu Bian had ordered that no ores, metals, swords, bows, or crossbows be exported to the State of Chen. However, many powerful and influential families in Chenliu County outwardly complied but inwardly defied the order.

Among them were families like the Quan family of Chenliu, the Pi family of Junyi, and the Ji family of Changyuan, who had held positions of two thousand shi (a unit of grain) for generations. Since the law prohibited the direct sale of metals, ores, and metal weapons, they sold agricultural tools and metal utensils, and transported metals to the State of Chen in various non-weapon forms.

Xuan Fan was exceptionally proactive. Without waiting for the emperor's order, he guessed the emperor's intentions based on his understanding of the emperor's image from Guo Tu's side and took the initiative to say, "Your subject requests that the state order me to investigate this case and that these traitors be imprisoned and their entire families exterminated!"

Liu Bian was slightly taken aback. Exporting agricultural tools and other metal objects was indeed not restricted by the law, so these powerful families had taken advantage of the loophole, and the court had no legitimate reason to punish them.

However, Liu Bian only wanted them to be executed, not to be executed for any specific crime.

Therefore, he only intended to have the Embroidered Uniform Guard of Yanzhou cooperate with Xuan Fan to find other ways to convict these powerful families of crimes punishable by death. However, he did not expect that this fellow would directly label these families as traitors who intended to rebel, and would raise Liu Bian's expected execution of the ringleaders beyond the extermination of the entire family to the extermination of three generations.

Xuan Fan's behavior reminded many people present of a colleague.

Are all the officials of the Court of Justice like Guo Gongze, who fawned on his master and committed murder?

(End of this chapter)