The Later Three Kingdoms: Slaying Deng Ai, and Reviving the Han Dynasty

Yang Yong is just that tough.

He was a subordinate official of the esteemed Prime Minister Zhuge Liang, and according to the prevailing customs of the time, Prime Minister Zhuge Liang was his lord.

The era of Prime Minister Zhuge Liang was the most beautiful era of the Han Dynasty. He had seen such a beautiful scene, so he was unwilling to compromise his principles and conform to the corrupt practices of the time.

His son was the same.

Therefore, the father and son retired to their residence to maintain their integrity. He preferred copying books to working in the corrupt officialdom.

of course.

The corrupt officialdom and the officials of a feudal lord's kingdom are two different systems.

The position and power of the prime minister of a vassal king were closely related to the size of the vassal king's fiefdom. If Liu Chen truly possessed the Beidi Commandery, he would be the true King of Beidi.

The Prime Minister of the Northern Region was actually a prefect, and should have been directly dispatched by the imperial court.

But now Liu Chen's title of King of Beidi is merely nominal; he has no actual territory. The Chancellor is just a minor official. Otherwise, the emperor wouldn't have allowed the vassal kings to recruit their own officials.

If the feudal lords are wise, then the atmosphere of the officials and bureaucracy within the kingdom will be very good.

The opposite is also true.

Yang Yong had never met the King of the North, but the King of the North's reputation had already spread throughout Chengdu.

Greedy, stingy, arrogant... yet friendly with Huang Hao.

Huang Hao was one of the people he hated.

He would rather copy books to make money.

"Yes, Father." Yang Yuan knew Yang Yong's personality and temperament all too well, so he wasn't surprised by Yang Yong's reaction. He bowed and turned to leave.

The main gate of the Yang residence.

The official sent by Liu Chen, the King of Beidi, was given a resounding cold shoulder.

The royal envoy blushed and almost couldn't help but start spitting out insults.

"In that case, I will give the King of the North the truth." The king said curtly, turned around, got into his carriage, and left.

"Truly? What harm is there in embellishing it?" Yang Yuan thought to himself.

The Han Dynasty had its own unique circumstances. Even when the emperor sent people to recruit famous scholars to serve as officials, there were many who refused.

What about the King of the North?

Humph.

The royal envoy, accompanied by his retinue, departed Chengdu and returned to the palace.

"This palace is really shabby." After returning to the so-called "palace", the royal envoy looked around and thought to himself.

He had long heard that Liu Chen had broken into the office of the Grand Master of Works and taken away the money bestowed by the emperor. As a result, Liu Chen took five million coins and built this shabby palace.

They are extremely stingy.

However, he was also a little puzzled. Why would such a stingy emperor like Liu Chen offer a pair of white jade discs to hire an old official like Yang Yong as prime minister?

Thinking of this, the royal envoy couldn't help but blush. It was truly humiliating for a royal envoy to be turned away at the door.

Led by the eunuch, the royal envoy arrived at Liu Chen's study to pay his respects.

He relayed Yang Yong's refusal as fact, then waited to see what would happen. Our Northern King has quite the temper; how dare Yang Yong, a mere retired minor official, be so disrespectful? Hmph.

But something astonishing happened.

"I understand, you can go now." Liu Chen said calmly, waving his hand.

The royal envoy almost blurted out, "That's it? No retaliation?" He held back, bowed, and turned to leave.

"As expected." Liu Chen smiled.

Yang Yong was a senior official under Zhuge Liang. He dared to openly criticize General Jiang Wei and said he wanted to kill Huang Hao and Qiao Zhou.

Having lived through the eras of Zhuge Liang, Jiang Wan, Fei Yi, and Dong Yun, and now into the darkest of times, they still hold fast to their principles. They are truly unyielding.

Given his terrible reputation, it's perfectly normal that Yang Yong refused to serve as prime minister.

"But I will definitely get the person I set my sights on. I will also inherit Prime Minister Zhuge's legacy." Liu Chen puffed out his chest and laughed.

However, it's getting late today, so we'll talk about it tomorrow.

Although the palace was shabby, it was spacious. The eunuchs and maids who left the palace with Liu Chen were very satisfied with their new working environment. They walked with a brisk pace.

Since it was his own territory, Liu Chen no longer needed to eat the food sent by the Imperial Household Department and could order the kitchen to start cooking at any time.

After reading for a while, Liu Chen left the palace with his attendants and went outside to ride horses and practice martial arts.

The day passed just like that, and at night they stayed in the palace.

Upon arriving, he tossed and turned in bed, not falling asleep until very late.

But he was young and vigorous, and physically strong. When he woke up the next morning, he was still a spirited and energetic young man.

Then comes the daily routine.

He washed up, ate his fill, took a walk, and read. Just after noon, Liu Chen learned that Zhang Sheng was arriving soon, so he personally went out of the palace to greet him.

After standing there for a while, Zhang Sheng's team appeared on the horizon.

In addition to the men and horses, there were also many supply wagons.

Upon learning that Liu Chen had come to greet him, Zhang Sheng dared not be negligent. He and Wang Chong rode forward together. After seeing Liu Chen, Zhang Sheng dismounted and bowed, saying, "I am deeply honored and humbled by Your Majesty's warm welcome."

Wang Chong then bowed down.

"No need to be alarmed." Liu Chen stepped forward and helped Zhang Sheng up, feeling quite satisfied. Though small, it had everything he needed. He, the King of the North, now had his own palace and military generals. And it would only grow stronger.

He then said to Zhang Sheng, "I am a man who values ​​my life. From now on, I will rely entirely on you, Zhang Qing, for my protection when I travel or stay at my lodgings."

"Yes," Zhang Sheng replied decisively. He would not allow anyone to harm Liu Chen unless he died.

"Mm." Liu Chen nodded with a smile. After exchanging a few words, Zhang Sheng introduced Wang Chong to Liu Chen.

Liu Chen smiled and encouraged Wang Chong for a few words, then led the two to the permanent military camp next to the palace.

The manor originally had no military camps; it was newly built by Liu Chen. It includes buildings such as walls, longhouses, granaries, armories, and the Lieutenant's office.

Although sparrows are small, they have all the vital organs.

After Liu Chen led Zhang Sheng and the other man on a tour of the military camp, they sat down in the main hall of the Lieutenant's office.

Liu Chen said to Zhang Sheng and Wang Chong, "The Emperor has granted me a guard force of no more than six hundred men, which is equivalent to one battalion. In addition, the Emperor has permitted me to go to the Chengdu armory to collect one hundred pieces of fine armor, one hundred strong bows, and other military supplies. You will take my letter tomorrow to collect them. The day after tomorrow, we will recruit brave men in Chengdu."

"Yes."

Zhang Sheng and Wang Chong bowed and agreed.

After exchanging a few more words, Liu Chen left the military camp, boarded the prepared Jingen carriage, and headed to Chengdu, surrounded by his attendants, to personally invite Yang Yong.

Zhang Sheng and Wang Chong escorted Liu Chen to the door and watched him leave.

Wang Chong pondered for a moment and said, "Victory. Rumor has it that the King is stingy, greedy, and arrogant. But it seems..."

In any case, he didn't find anything arrogant or domineering about Liu Chen. On the contrary, Liu Chen was handsome, had a dignified demeanor, and was very easygoing in his words and actions.

"No one is allowed to discuss the King," Zhang Sheng said sternly.

"Yes." Wang Chong's body trembled, and he immediately composed himself and bowed.

Liu Chen's golden car entered Chengdu amidst a retinue of attendants and arrived outside Yang Yong's residence.

Chaos erupted inside the Yang residence.