Chapter 44: Recruited the Tycoon Brother (Please Read!)

After listening to Li Yi's analysis, Liu Bei found himself tangled in hesitation for a moment.

His fundamental strategy for governing Xu Province was simple: make alliance with Yuan Shao in the north, pacify Cao Cao in the west, and heavily strike Yuan Shu in the south.

This was the foreign policy Li Yi had previously helped him formulate.

As a battleground contested from all directions, Xu Province was tightly enveloped by various powerful warlords.

If one could not dance gracefully with long sleeves and navigate skillfully on all fronts, doom was inevitable.

Yuan Shao and Cao Cao possessed formidable strength and were difficult opponents.

Meanwhile, Yuan Shu of Huainan, despite his deep foundations, suffered from incompetent leadership that exhausted his entire army. Furthermore, Sun Ce had begun raising troops, lighting a fire right in Yuan Shu's backyard.

After careful discussion within the Liu Bei faction, Yuan Shu was designated as the primary target to deal with.

Viewing things from a God's-eye perspective, Li Yi was orchestrating strategies from behind the scenes when he stationed Chen Deng in Guangling.

Rather than saying it was meant to restrict Yuan Shu, it would be more accurate to say it was meant to restrict the future Sun clan.

Historically, neither Sun Ce nor Sun Quan had ever managed to outmaneuver Chen Deng.

It was only after Chen Deng's death that the Sun clan began to grow and expand unchecked.

In later years, whenever Cao Cao reached the riverbanks, he would always regret not having utilized Chen Deng's plans.

"In that case, we are powerless regarding Beihai and find it difficult to intervene?"

"……Haha, Kong Rong has old ties with my lord. I fear that if my lord chooses not to rescue him, it would weigh heavily on your conscience. We might as well save him."

"However, instead of dispatching troops directly to Beihai, we would be better off having Kong Rong abandon Beihai and enter our Xu Province."

Li Yi proposed a novel train of thought.

"Kong Rong is a scholar of utmost renown throughout the realm. If we can keep him in Xu Province and employ him, it will greatly benefit my lord in winning the hearts of the people."

"What does my lord think of this idea?"

Kong Rong was simply unsuited to be a lord himself, but as a civil official and subordinate, he was quite exceptional.

Li Yi had his eyes primarily set on Kong Rong's fame and prestige.

In the Han Dynasty, which revered Confucianism, the title of the twentieth-generation descendant of Confucius carried immense weight.

Moreover, although Kong Rong was somewhat extreme regarding the concepts of loyalty and filial piety, he was truly a man of absolute integrity and incorruptibility, standing firm against wrongdoing.

Back when he served as an official in the imperial court, he had once offended General-in-Chief He Jin. He Jin originally intended to have him executed, but dropped the matter simply because Kong Rong's influence was too vast.

A similar situation occurred when Dong Zhuo held power.

Dong Zhuo did not kill Kong Rong either; instead, he transferred him to Beihai, hoping to use the rampant Qing Province Yellow Turban rebels there to eliminate him by proxy.

Both incidents demonstrated just how massive Kong Rong's influence was at the time.

Even figures like He Jin and Dong Zhuo harbored reservations and apprehension toward him.

If such a man could be brought into Xu Province to be treated like an auspicious mascot, his fame as a descendant of the Sage could be leveraged to attract talented individuals with absolute, miraculous effectiveness.

Furthermore, Kong Rong genuinely excelled at running educational institutions. As long as he was allowed to focus purely on teaching without meddling blindly in other affairs, he would prove immensely valuable.

This was what one called making full use of things and putting every person to their best use.

Besides, bringing Kong Rong into the fold would also mean acquiring Wang Xiu for free.

As mentioned previously, Kong Rong's criteria for employing people were that they had to be capable in warfare, well-read and learned, and come from a good background.

Over all these years, Kong Rong had truly found only one such person—and this was the only one.

That person was Wang Xiu.

Wang Xiu was Kong Rong's subordinate and a close friend, so he would undoubtedly follow Kong Rong wherever he went.

A look of joy bloomed across Liu Bei's face:

"The military advisor's strategy can be described as the best of both worlds. Not only do we avoid offending Yuan Shao, but we also get to rescue Kong Beihai. Truly, it could not be better!"

Liu Bei was naturally adept at recognizing and utilizing talent. Furthermore, coming from a chivalrous background, he valued loyalty and righteousness; his heart truly could not bear to stand by and watch Kong Rong die.

If they could welcome him to Xu Province and work together to govern the territory, wouldn't that be wonderful?

With the strategy decided, Liu Bei returned to the guesthouse to receive the envoy from Beihai and clearly stated his stance.

After bidding farewell to the envoy, Liu Bei immediately issued recruitment edicts according to the talented individuals recommended by Li Yi, sending out men to search for them.

Meanwhile, Li Yi went to find Mi Zhu to discuss matters regarding the distribution and commercialization of refined salt.

Several days passed in a flash.

On this particular day, Li Yi and Liu Bei walked side by side, discussing important political affairs of Xu Province.

Because the lord and his advisor were practically inseparable, many officials in Xu Province frequently made jokes in private.

Upon hearing these remarks, Liu Bei was instead delighted, comparing the bond between himself and Li Yi to that of fish and water.

They were truly like fish finding the water.

"……Ah, regarding these figures for grain and funds—"

Just as Liu Bei and Li Yi were chatting with great enthusiasm, Chen Dao came running over excitedly.

Seeing the expression on Chen Dao's face and knowing there was good news, Li Yi teased:

"Shuzhi is beaming with joy; there must be good news to report to my lord."

Liu Bei's interest was also piqued, and he asked Chen Dao what the matter was.

Chen Dao explained that the administrative official Liu Bei had sent out days earlier to recruit scholars had returned.

"Oh? So quickly?"

Liu Bei was thirsting for talent, and upon hearing that a wise scholar had responded to the call, he instantly grew immensely excited.

Li Yi, however, possessed keen observation and asked:

"Only a single scholar has arrived, yet Shuzhi is this overjoyed."

"Could there be something else as well?"

Chen Dao chuckled heartily and scratched the back of his head:

"Nothing can ever be concealed from the military advisor."

"The gentleman who has arrived is truly extraordinary. Not only did he come himself, but he also brought his household servants."

"He shipped over a dozen cartloads of money and grain—easily several thousand bushels."

Ah, so it was a wealthy benefactor.

No wonder Chen Dao was so excited.

Who could have imagined that recruiting a single talented individual would come with a complimentary bonus of money and grain?

"This must be Lu Zijing!"

Li Yi concluded that Lu肃 (Lu Su) had arrived. Only he possessed such immense wealth coupled with such generosity.

Moreover, since Lu Su was originally a native of Xiapu, it was completely natural that he would be among the first to respond to the recruitment.

"Oh, right, right, right!"

Chen Dao nodded repeatedly. "That person seemed to mention his name is... Lu Su!"

Liu Bei was overjoyed, and the smile at the corners of his mouth could no longer be suppressed.

"Military advisor! Let us go!"

"……Alright."

The two of them hurried together toward the main hall.

Lu Su was already waiting there. Outside the building, piles of money and grain filled the courtyard, while household servants unloaded cargo bag by bag.

Surprised yet delighted, Liu Bei quickly strode into the main hall.

Catching sight of that broad, imposing figure, he hastily cupped his hands in salute and asked:

"Might you be Lu Zijing of Dongcheng?"

Lu Su turned around. Seeing that Liu Bei's ears reached down to his shoulders—a physical sign of destined imperial greatness—he felt a secret sense of awe in his heart.

He immediately returned the courtesy, saying:

"I am indeed the untalented Lu Zijing. Upon receiving the General's recruitment edict a few days ago, Su felt nothing but trembling awe and restless anxiety."

"Therefore, I have prepared a few meager gifts to faintly express my respect."

Liu Bei stepped forward, grasped Lu Su's hands, and said with deep emotion:

"I have long heard of your great name, and Ziyu has also praised your talents to me on numerous occasions."

"Observing you today, you indeed possess an extraordinary appearance and an imposing demeanor—a truly rare talent."

The corners of Lu Su's eyes twitched slightly, and internally he cried out that this was almost too much to handle.

He had long heard that Lord Liu treated virtuous scholars with utmost humility, but experiencing it firsthand today, he found it was truly filled with heartfelt emotion, sincere feeling, and genuine warmth toward others.

Despite being the Governor of Xu Province, Liu Bei held not a shred of arrogance and genuinely valued his talents.

A scholar will die for one who truly knows him. Although Lu Su possessed the free-spirited style of a knight-errant, he harbored grand ambitions within his heart.

He had always been searching for an opportunity to display his aspirations.

He never expected to encounter such a lord right here.

Li Yi stood off to the side, watching silently without uttering a word.

For now, he just needed to let Old Liu unleash his "charmer" skill; Liu Bei was an expert at this.

He only needed to stand by and watch the show. Once Lu Su was sufficiently moved, he himself would step in with a few well-placed words.

And everything would be settled!