Chapter 20, Chapter 4: Using Chopsticks as a Form of Fundraising

Life between heaven and earth is like a fleeting moment, gone in an instant.

From September of the first year of Guangxi to July of the fourth year of Yongjia, Liu Kun had held out in Bingzhou for four years.

Many things have happened in the past few years, but the most important thing is still the war between Liu Kun and the Xiongnu Han. Liu Yuan captured Puban and Pingyang, and four tribes, including Wang Mi, Shi Le, Ji Sang, and Xianbei Lu Zhuyan, surrendered. They were no longer willing to wear the skin of loyal ministers.

In the third year of Yongjia, Liu Yuan, the King of Han, ascended the throne. Liu Kun sent the cavalry of the governor of Shangdang to attack Huguan, inflicting a great defeat on Qi Wuda, the General of the Eastern Garrison of Han, who fled in disarray.

Liu Yuan then appointed Wang Mi as a court attendant, and together with Liu Cong and Shi Le, they attacked Huguan Pass, inflicting a great defeat on the generals sent by Liu Kun, and killing 19,000.

Liu Kun led his troops to attack Liu Hu, while Liu Cong sent troops to launch a surprise attack on Jinyang. The residents of Jinyang fought desperately, but the city was not captured.

While Jinyang was still relatively stable, the surrounding areas were turned upside down by the Xiongnu.

In a short period of time, Yingchuan, Xiangcheng, Runan, Nanyang, Henan, along with Xu, Yu, and Yanzhou, were all invaded by enemy forces. What was most astonishing was that, because the refugees were often bullied by the local gentry and people, they actually joined the Xiongnu. Some even set fire to the city, killed the prefect, and responded to the enemy.

Liu Kun originally wanted to provide relief, but unfortunately, locusts had swept through the six provinces of You, Bing, Si, Ji, Qin, and Yong that year, leaving nothing but barren land. Not to mention Bing province itself, You province, which he relied on the most, was also overwhelmed. He could only provide disaster relief while watching the Central Plains fall.

July 10th was an ordinary day in Liu Kun's office.

Liu Jun carried the bamboo slips through the courtyard, and his subordinates and soldiers all bowed and made way for him.

Now he has grown into a tall and handsome young man. He is full of vigor and spirit due to his years of practicing martial arts and archery in the army, and he is also elegant and refined due to his extensive reading. In addition, he has a grand vision and far-reaching spirit due to his years of planning and governing for his father.

"Father." As soon as he entered the door, Liu Jun bowed to Liu Kun and then neatly arranged the bamboo slips in his hands. "These are all the intelligence reports I have collected in the past few days. Please take a look, Father."

Liu Kun was looking at the map when he said, "Since you've already looked at it once, why don't you just pick out some important things to talk about? As for the rest, you can handle them yourself."

"Yes." Liu Jun presented the bamboo slips placed on top. "The troops of Liu Cong, the King of Chu of the Xiongnu, Liu Yao, the King of Shian, and Shi Le have all made unusual movements and seem to be heading towards Huai County."

"Has the court made any moves?" Liu Kun immediately found Huai on the map and asked with a frown.

"The imperial court issued an edict ordering General Song Chou to come to the rescue."

Liu Kun sighed, "The Xiongnu have sent only their most skilled generals. Song Chou has absolutely no chance of stopping them, and I'm afraid his own life will be in danger as well. What do you think we should do?"

Many of Liu Kun's advisors also respected the heir apparent, and at this moment they all listened in silence to his insightful opinion.

"This time they are attacking Pei Zheng, the governor of Hanoi. He comes from the Pei clan of Wenxi. Since the chaos began, these powerful clans in Hedong have gathered people and built fortified villages to defend themselves, most of them without official appointments from the court. But Pei Zheng is a special case. He holds an official position in the court and, because of the Pei clan's prestige in Hedong, he calls himself the lord of the fortified village. However, he is incompetent and incapable of governing well. The people of Hanoi resent him and are probably unwilling to die for him."

"So, even Pei Zheng can't be saved?" Liu Kun frowned slightly. "Then what should we do?"

Liu Jun nodded. "In the past, Emperor Wu of Wei appointed officials based solely on their talents, both employing and guarding against powerful families. Emperor Wen of Wei established the Nine-Rank System to gain the support of the gentry for his usurpation of the Han throne, but still maintained firm control over the army and counties. In our dynasty, the veneration of the gentry has never been surpassed, to the point that there are no commoners among the upper ranks and no gentry among the lower ranks. I believe that since we are now in Hedong, we cannot do without the support of these powerful families. However, in the long run, if we want to stabilize the country, we must be inclusive and appoint officials based solely on their talents, regardless of their social status."

"You mean Guo Mo?" Liu Kun frowned slightly. "This man is cunning and ruthless. If we cannot control him, things will definitely change over time."

This man came from humble beginnings but later became a leader of displaced people, accumulating considerable wealth. Many displaced people flocked to him, and he was currently under the command of Pei Zheng, the governor of Hanoi. However, he had previously bypassed Pei Zheng and secretly sent someone to contact Liu Kun.

“If I’m not mistaken, it won’t be long before the ‘people’ of Hanoi tie up Pei Zheng and hand him over to Shi Le.” Liu Jun sighed. “I heard that this man once shot and killed his wife. The reason was that his wife’s brother embezzled several bushels of government rice and gave them to his wife. He wanted to kill him. His wife’s brother fled to Shi Le, and he personally killed his wife to show his selflessness.”

"Even if we use this person, it will only be a temporary measure." Upon hearing this, Liu Kun was even more displeased.

Liu Jun said, "After the deaths of Generals Huang Su and Han Shu, Father is in dire need of a great general. Although this man is cunning, he is quite good at fighting and extremely skilled at pacifying refugees. It seems that he is also loyal to the Great Jin. Using him to resist the Xiongnu is the most suitable option."

"Your Highness has great foresight," one of the advisors finally realized. "Why don't you appoint Guo Mo as the governor of Hanoi?"

Liu Jun shook his head, "No, wouldn't that mean we've offended the Pei family of Hedong for his sake? In my humble opinion, we should petition the court to appoint him as the governor of Yongzhou..."

Seeing Liu Kun's expression gradually become focused, Liu Jun smiled and said, "Previously, the Prince of Qin wrote a letter saying that Guanzhong was devastated and that many refugees from Yongzhou were in Nanyang and were unwilling to return. I heard that His Majesty wanted to issue an edict to send troops to send the refugees back to Yongzhou. Although the Prince of Qin is young, he knows that this move could easily cause a popular uprising, so he sent a letter to discuss it with you."

"Oh?" Wen Qiao is now the Sima of the Prince of Qin's mansion. Liu Kun has always valued Wen Qiao, so he also thinks highly of the Prince of Qin. "What does Tai Zhen say?"

“He shares the same view as my son. These refugees act like bandits, but their fighting strength is astonishing. We still need to find a way to appease them and use them as a shield against the bandits.” Liu Jun stood up and said solemnly, “Therefore, I have a plan, which has four steps.”

"Firstly, let Guo Mo bribe the people of Hanoi to hand over Pei Zheng, thereby saving the lives of everyone in the city."

"And then use Guo Mo as the new prefect?" another advisor said, trying to be clever.

"Secondly, appoint another member of the Pei clan of Hedong as the governor of Henan, thereby forming an alliance with the Pei clan of Hedong." Liu Jun smiled. "Thirdly, if Father agrees, then the King of Qin will appoint Guo Mo as the governor of Yongzhou."

Liu Kun was a little confused. "Wouldn't this make Guo Mo too powerful? What good would that do for Bingzhou?"

Liu Jun said, "Fourth, send a reliable person to work with Guo Mo to resolve the problem of the large number of refugees in Nanyang. In this way, these refugees will not be allowed to defect to the Xiongnu, and the military manpower of Bingzhou will also be replenished."

"Very well, this matter will be handled by the Crown Prince." Liu Kun looked at the map several times before finally making the decision.

Liu Jun withdrew, and then Liu Kun said, "Today's business is finished, the sky is clear and the air is fresh, it is a good time to drink and make merry with you all, why don't you quickly invite Master Xu?"