Brother, stop curling up! You're curling up like the founder of the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 104 Liu Bei Establishes Eight Camps in Yongzhou, and Things Get Turbulent (Seeking updates and monthly votes)
With Huangfu Song relinquishing his military command, the transfer of the 30,000 troops sent to quell the rebellion was also successfully completed.

Although Huangfu Song had doubts about his former subordinates and confidants in the anti-bandit army, the handover was assisted by Huangfu Jianshou and Huangfu Li, and no bloodshed occurred as a result.

Liu Bei prepared a residence for Huangfu Song in Chang'an, and at the same time sent a letter to Luoyang praising Huangfu Song's merits in suppressing the rebellion and recommending him for the position of Imperial Censor.

Huangfu Song then recommended Liang Yan from Anding, She Jian from Fufeng, and his brother She Yuan to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei had heard of the historical records of these three men.

One of them had once advised Huangfu Song to raise an army to attack Dong Zhuo, and had served as Huangfu Song's chief clerk for a long time, responsible for military strategy.

The other two were both highly regarded, and after Liu Bei entered Shu, She Jian became the Prefect of Guanghan and the Prefect of Shu Commandery, while She Yuan became the Attendant Gentleman of the Palace and the General of the Palace. She Yuan was also one of the leading figures in the petition to the King of Hanzhong to ascend the throne.

Liu Bei is currently in dire need of talented individuals, and since Huangfu Song is willing to recommend them, Liu Bei will naturally not hesitate.

After assessing the talents of the three men, Liu Bei appointed Liang Yan as the Chief Clerk of Yongzhou, to advise on important military and political affairs, and appointed She Jian as the Magistrate of Ikeda County in Fengyi Commandery and She Yuan as the Magistrate of Lantian County in Jingzhao Commandery, each governing a county.

In response to the Liangzhou rebels, Liu Bei promoted Wei Jie, the former commander of the Podi Duwei under Gai Xun, to be the magistrate of Chencang; Du Kai, the commander of the Weilu Duwei, to be the magistrate of Yumi; Yang Ru, the commander of the Niaoji Duwei, to be the magistrate of Yong County; and Di Wujun, the commander of the Qingkou Duwei, to be the magistrate of Qian County. He also ordered Wei Jie to oversee the four counties and establish the western defense line of Fufeng Commandery.

At the same time, Liu Bei moved the capital of Fufeng Commandery from Huaili to Mei County in order to better control the fifteen counties of Fufeng, increase the timeliness of responding to the Liangzhou rebels, and completed the reorganization of the troops sent to suppress the rebels in Huaili, forming the Yongzhou Army.

Based on the two thousand soldiers of Xiyuan, fourteen thousand elite soldiers were selected from the thirty thousand soldiers who were sent to suppress the bandits and joined the Yongzhou army. The eight colonels of Yongzhou were established in imitation of the eight colonels of Xiyuan, and eight camps of Yongzhou were set up, with two thousand men in each camp.

Guan Yu was appointed as the Upper Army Colonel, Zhang Fei as the Middle Army Colonel, Zhao Yun as the Lower Army Colonel, Zhang Liao as the Commander of the Army, Xu Huang as the Assistant Left Colonel, Zhang Yang as the Assistant Right Colonel, Dian Wei as the Left Colonel, and Huangfu Jianshou as the Right Colonel.

The remaining soldiers who fought against the bandits either retired to their fields or were reassigned to various counties.

The Yongzhou Army also upheld the old traditions of the former Xiyuan Army, and in peacetime they would follow the old routine for training: they would get up at dawn to practice martial arts, eat and read at dawn, practice riding and archery at 9 am, eat and read at noon, practice swords and spears at 1 pm, eat and read at 3 pm, practice endurance at 5 pm, and go to sleep to conserve energy at 7 pm.

Liu Bei even established a military motto in the Yongzhou army: "We would rather freeze to death than break a house, and starve to death than plunder."

There are also detailed rules such as "prohibition of damaging civilian residences", "prohibition of looting property", "prohibition of disturbing civilians when stationed", "soldiers are not allowed to enter civilian residences at night", "taking civilian hemp thread", etc., and violators will be punished according to military law.

How others lead their troops is none of Liu Bei's business.

When Liu Bei led his troops, he absolutely forbade his officers and soldiers to behave like bandits.

Yue Fei's Beiwei Army could "freeze to death rather than dismantle houses, starve to death rather than plunder," and Liu Bei was certain that the Yongzhou Army could do the same.

June twenty.

Because the order to transfer from Luoyang was delayed, and Huangfu Song couldn't stay idle in Chang'an, he came to find Liu Bei, hoping to join the Yongzhou army for military training.

Although the two sides had differences in their philosophies on commanding troops, Huangfu Song had extensive combat experience.

Huangfu Song's willingness to provide free military training to the Yongzhou army was beneficial to the Yongzhou army, especially to Guan Yu and others who had just been appointed as the Eight Colonels.

"Since General Zuo is in the mood, I will go with him."

Liu Bei had not received any intelligence related to the rebels recently, so he put aside his other matters and went to the Huaili camp with Huangfu Song.

The distance from Chang'an to Huaili Camp is less than seventy li, which can be reached in half a day by horse.

During rest stops along the way, Huangfu Song would chat with Liu Bei about military affairs.

After relinquishing his military power, Huangfu Song was no longer as serious as when he was in charge of military affairs, and he often smiled when chatting with Liu Bei about military matters.

In terms of military affairs alone, Huangfu Song truly deserves the title of a renowned general.

Huangfu Song's views on things like caring for soldiers were quite similar to Liu Bei's.

Liu Bei himself was extremely charismatic, and after several conversations, Huangfu Song became increasingly impressed with him and more and more eager to see what new look the Huaili camp would have after Liu Bei's reorganization.

It was noon when we arrived at Huaili Camp.

Since Liu Bei had not sent any prior notice, Guan Yu and the others were unaware that Liu Bei would be coming to the Huaili camp today.

The entire camp was operating according to its usual schedule and was not specially adjusted because of Liu Bei's arrival.

"Du Bo Gaowen from the lower military camp pays his respects to the magistrate."

Du Bo Gaowen, who was on duty at the camp gate, saw Liu Bei arrive and hurriedly stepped forward to greet him.

Gao Wen was one of the eighty warriors who first followed Liu Bei and served under Zhao Yun. Of the original eighty warriors, the lowest-ranking one is now a duke.

Liu Bei was most impressed by the eighty warriors and was also quite familiar with Gao Wen, so he said, "General Zuo is new to the Huaili camp. Please make some arrangements and then take us to tour the camp later."

Gawain was overjoyed.

Being able to show Liu Bei around the camp is a stroke of good fortune.

Although it has only been a little over a year, Gao Wen has already risen from a lowly soldier to a high-ranking official, but becoming a high-ranking official is not the upper limit that Gao Wen wants.

Young Dubo is too eager to improve!

The soldiers following Gao Wen also cast envious glances.

However, while leading people to visit the camp is a wonderful thing, it is also a skill. People with low levels of education are not qualified to lead people to visit the camp.

Huangfu Song arrived at just the right time, right after lunch, when all the soldiers in the camp were supposed to be reading.

Not long after entering the camp, Huangfu Song heard the sound of reading aloud, which left him somewhat bewildered.

Huangfu Song, born into a military family, studied literature and martial arts from a young age and was also fond of the Book of Poetry and the Book of History, making him a cultured military general.

Therefore, Huangfu Song could clearly distinguish that the soldiers' unison reading of "Playing with people leads to moral decay, playing with things leads to the loss of ambition," "Only by being prepared in all matters can one avoid trouble," "Pride invites loss, humility brings benefit," and "Great achievements depend on ambition, great undertakings depend on diligence, and only by being decisive can one avoid future difficulties" all came from the Book of Documents.

Because the order is disrupted and there is no context, it is difficult for anyone other than a regular reader of the Book of Documents to distinguish the text.

"In the Yongzhou army, there are actually military officers who lead their soldiers in reading the Book of Documents?"

After thinking it over carefully, Huangfu Song still couldn't figure out who would do such a thing, and his gaze toward Liu Bei became more questioning.

Liu Bei smiled calmly and gestured to Du Bo Gaowen to answer Huangfu Song's question.

Gao Wen received the signal and excitedly said, "General Zuo, you may not know this, but the officers of the Yongzhou Army must lead their soldiers in reading. The content will vary depending on each officer's knowledge, such as the Analects, Mencius, or the Book of Poetry, the Book of Documents, the Book of Rites, the Book of Changes, and the Spring and Autumn Annals."

Huangfu Song was astonished: "If one cannot read, wouldn't one only be able to become a soldier?"

Gao Wen replied without hesitation, “According to the original rules, those who cannot read can only serve as soldiers. However, since the Yongzhou Army has just been established, in order to integrate the Yongzhou Army’s combat strength in a short period of time, Governor Liu has ordered the addition of ‘Deputy Historians’ in the army. Currently, there are Deputy Historians for Military Ranks, Deputy Historians for Capital Ranks, and Deputy Historians for Squad Leaders.” “If there are Military Ranks, Capital Ranks, or Squad Leaders who are fierce in battle but cannot read, the Deputy Historians will assist them in leading the soldiers to read. If a Military Rank, Capital Rank, or Squad Leader is unfortunately killed in battle, the Deputy Historian will take over command.”

The Yongzhou army was based on the two thousand Xiyuan soldiers that Liu Bei brought from Luoyang. Normally, the platoon leaders, captains, and military commanders should all be appointed from the Xiyuan soldiers.

However, there were also fierce warriors among the troops sent to quell the rebellion. In order to accommodate both sides, Liu Bei added the position of deputy scribe, modeled after the military system of later generations. On the one hand, this was to prevent the military officers from being unable to read and thus unable to teach the soldiers to read. On the other hand, it was to increase cohesion and prevent the soldiers from only knowing about the military officers and not about Liu Bei.

If the Yongzhou army is to truly understand the principle of "rather freeze to death than break a house, rather starve to death than plunder," they must have genuine faith, and genuine faith requires reading and understanding.

Those like the Yellow Turbans, who only know how to shout slogans but don't read books or understand principles, will not only become a disorganized mess once their leader dies, but will also turn from dragon slayers into evil dragons.

They were all oppressed common people forced to rebel, yet they were allowed to kill and plunder wantonly because they were no longer restrained.

Huangfu Song was so shocked that he couldn't close his mouth. He couldn't help but think of Liu Bei's words: "Soldiers protect the country above and the common people below. They endure what ordinary people cannot endure, obtain what ordinary people cannot obtain, and achieve what ordinary people cannot achieve. Yongzhou does not support idle soldiers."

Before meeting Liu Bei, Huangfu Song boasted that there were few in the world who could lead troops better than him.

But after meeting Liu Bei, Huangfu Song suddenly felt like a frog at the bottom of a well.

As Huangfu Song surveyed the camp, he saw that all the soldiers, including those on patrol, were reading, without any distinction between them. He couldn't help but marvel inwardly: Liu Yongzhou is indeed no ordinary man!
At first, Huangfu Song thought that when he lectured the Yongzhou army on military affairs, he would also incorporate some military leadership concepts, so as to use the Yongzhou soldiers to carry forward the insights he had gained over the years.

Although he could not be like Lu Zhi, who could both lead troops into battle and write books, at least when people mention him in the future, they will remember him as "Huangfu Gong once said".

Now, Huangfu Song dares not show off anymore.

Liu Bei's philosophy of leading troops has completely overwhelmed Huangfu Song in terms of his ideological level!

The only thing Huangfu Song could talk about was sharing his combat experience, breaking it down into specific military matters such as setting up camp and marching.

In terms of combat experience, Huangfu Song was indeed very experienced, and he spoke with ease, able to answer Guan Yu and others' questions accurately.

"Your Excellency has actually managed to invite Huangfu Song to the Yongzhou army for military training. In this way, not only will the officers of the various camps have a clearer understanding of military operations, but the doubts in the army about Your Excellency seizing power will also disappear." Jia Xu stood beside Liu Bei, his tone filled with surprise.

After all, it is a fact that Huangfu Song was stripped of his military power. Even with the assistance of Huangfu Jianshou and Huangfu Li, it only prevented bloodshed, but it did not mean there were no doubts. Doubts would affect cohesion.

"People change." Liu Bei's lips curled slightly, clearly pleased with Huangfu Song's military training session in Yongzhou today.

Changing the subject, Liu Bei asked, "Wenhe, are you comfortable in the Yongzhou army? Do you want to stay in the army or come back to Chang'an with me?"

Jia Xu replied without hesitation: "I like the regular schedule of the Yongzhou army. I am not very talented and have no other skills besides serving as a military advisor, so I should stay in the army."

You are not very knowledgeable.
If you are already so ignorant and lacking in knowledge, how many people in this world would dare to claim to be talented?

I knew this would be the answer.

Liu Bei was somewhat helpless.

Now, Yongzhou is swamped with affairs, and even with all his energy, Liu Bei is finding it difficult to keep up.

Liu Bei even appointed Xu You as the concurrent Chief Administrator.

During this time, Xu You also complained to Liu Bei repeatedly, hoping to replace him with someone skilled in internal affairs to serve as the chief administrator.

Compared to governing the country and handling domestic affairs, Xu You preferred to devise strategies and play the game of the world. If he spent all his energy on domestic affairs, he would have no energy left to discuss the affairs of the world.

During this visit to Huaili Camp, Jia Xu was also inquiring whether he intended to take up the post of Chief Administrator.

Earlier, when Liu Bei asked Guan Yu, Guan Yu also thought that Jia Xu was suitable to be the chief administrator.

As a result, Jia Xu only wanted to stay in the army.

Liu Bei could guess Jia Xu's thoughts: besides the fact that the regular work and rest in the army and the light military affairs were conducive to longevity, the most important thing was that Jia Xu could use military means to save his life in the event of any emergency.

If Liu Bei had stayed in Chang'an to handle government affairs, there was a possibility that while Liu Bei was leading troops outside, the rebels might have colluded with insiders to attack Chang'an.

It is far more dangerous than staying in the military.

After all, for Jia Xu, who was good at surviving, preserving his life was always the top priority.

"Yongzhou is currently in dire need of talented individuals. Does Wenhe have any capable people to recommend?" Liu Bei did not press Jia Xu but instead asked.

Without hesitation, Jia Xu said, "I have heard that after the death of the rebel leader Wang Guo, Han Sui, Ma Teng, and others coerced the renowned scholar Yan Zhong into taking command of thirty-six tribes. Yan Zhong is good at recognizing people and has lofty ambitions; he will surely be ashamed to associate with the rebels. If you, my lord, can save Yan Zhong from this predicament, then why worry about Yongzhou lacking talented people?"

Yan Zhong
Liu Bei lowered his head in thought.

Yan Zhong was good at recognizing people. Even before Jia Xu became famous, Yan Zhong was convinced that Jia Xu had the talents of Zhang Liang and Chen Ping.

After Huangfu Song quelled the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Yan Zhong followed the example of Kuai Tong advising Han Xin and tried to persuade Huangfu Song.

It is said that Liu Hong is inferior to Liu Bang and Xiang Yu, while Huangfu Song wields more power than Han Xin. If he were to recruit the men of Ji Province and mobilize the forces of seven provinces, with urgent dispatches preceding and a massive army following, they could cross the Zhang River, drink from the Mengjin River, besiege Luoyang, and execute the eunuchs. Once their achievements are complete and the world is at peace, they could then invoke the will of Heaven, unify the six directions, rule from the south, transfer the imperial power to their own family, and establish the Han dynasty.

It has to be said that Yan Zhong was even bolder than Xu You.

Xu You at least assisted Wang Fen in deposing Liu Hong and installing the King of Hefei, while Yan Zhong directly allowed Huangfu Song to replace the Han dynasty.

Given the circumstances at the time, if Huangfu Song had actually listened to Yan Zhong's plan, he would probably be buried with grass growing several feet tall by now.

however.

This moment, that moment.

With the world on the verge of chaos, Liu Bei had no intention of remaining loyal to Liu Bian or Liu Xie.

Liu Bei dared to do what Huangfu Song dared not do, and he dared to employ those whom Huangfu Song dared not employ.

“Those who are ashamed to associate with the rebels will surely be filled with resentment and grief due to their imprisonment. It would be a pity if they fell ill and died. Wenhe, could you write a letter for me to persuade Yan Zhong to surrender? If Yan Zhong is willing to surrender, it would be a great achievement for Wenhe.” Liu Bei suddenly had an idea.

Jia Xu agreed, saying, "I will write a letter later, but although Yan Zhong is the leader of the rebels, he has no real power. This letter may be intercepted by Han Sui and Ma Teng."

"It's alright." Liu Bei chuckled. "Even if they are intercepted by Han Sui and Ma Teng, Yan Zhong will know about it. If Yan Zhong is truly good at recognizing people and has long-term ambitions, he will surely preserve himself to be useful and wait for the right opportunity. That will be enough!"

Jia Xu also smiled: "Your ability to devise strategies is truly admirable. You could promise Ma Teng the position of Left Fengyi in the letter, but make no mention of Han Sui. This might sow discord between the two."

Liu Bei laughed loudly: "Wenhe, this plan is brilliant."

(End of this chapter)