Chapter 58: Yuan's Disciples
Those who can become provincial governors usually have qualities that are reflected in their ability to attract talented people.
The difference in atmosphere among the three camps of Sun, Liu and Cao largely depends on the trend set by their lords.
Even Dong Zhuo had many brave generals from Liang Province under his command, including figures like Li Ru and Jia Xu. It was impossible for him to just say nothing and wait for people to come to him. It was also necessary to recruit them in a way that was in line with the relationship between the monarch and his subjects.
That’s why Qiao Yan said that we should judge Zhang Yi’s character by looking at how he performs against Zhang Liao.
Xi Zhicai played with the chess pieces in his hand with his fingertips, and said while examining the chessboard in front of him: "The arrival of this governor in Bingzhou is like throwing a stone into the already turbulent water. When Marquis Qiao recommended Zhang Liao to Zhang Yi, another stone was thrown in just when the waves caused by the stone had not yet subsided.
If Governor Zhang was a wise man, he could have allowed the latter ripple to be bigger than the former, and let the governor's reputation of recruiting talents overshadow his visit. ”
Naturally, there are some means of fanning the flames. Marketing when you first arrive here is not that easy. But since you are the governor of a state, you can always accomplish what you want to do if you put in a little effort.
"It's a pity. I see that Marquis Qiao has great admiration for Zhang Liao. Now that he has a relationship with the provincial government, it will be difficult to recruit him even if he is someone else's former official. If there is another provincial governor who is kind to him and gives him a chance to grow his wings, he will be even more loyal to him."
Qiao Yan saw that Xi Zhicai said it was a pity, but his tone did not really mean it, so he smiled and said, "Sir, you are not speaking from your heart. Leping now has Zilong, which is enough. With Zilong's temperament, he should gradually take over the Black Mountain bandits as the county's defense team. The results will be visible in three or two years. Isn't it a waste of talent to have another Zhang Liao?"
"The situation in Bingzhou is similar to that in Youzhou and Liangzhou. The more talented people with the potential to fight, the sooner they should be placed in the right place to hone their skills. If we can kill one or two more enemies in the war against the barbarians, it will be a blessing for the border. This is the best way to make the best use of people's talents."
Just as she said this, she heard the sound of Xu Fu leading Zhang Yang upstairs, so she stopped talking and didn't continue.
Zhang Yang, who came upstairs, had already cleaned up the blood and dirt on his body from killing the enemy on Yunzhong Mountain the day before. He stopped in front of Qiao Yan, bowed and thanked him.
To be honest, Qiao Yan didn't expect to meet Zhang Yang so soon.
According to her previous thoughts, Zhang Liao and Zhang Yang should seek a job together in the Bingzhou provincial capital.
Especially Zhang Yang.
Because he was old enough and extremely brave, Zhang Yi was supposed to appoint him to a good position.
Now, he and Zhang Liao are working together to eliminate the bandits in Yunzhong Mountain, and with their record of two people fighting against hundreds of people, it is even more reasonable to do so.
But what surprised her even more was that Zhang Yang came not just to give her a message, nor just to give up the credit and make Zhang Liao's trip to the state capital more outstanding, but because -
"Are you asking Leping if there is a suitable position for you?"
Qiao Yan almost thought he had heard it wrong.
She said that Zhang Yang's political acumen was not good, but his talent in leading troops was not so bad, otherwise he would not have been able to do such things as suppressing bandits in Shangdang and escorting the emperor.
He is capable of taking on important responsibilities in the state government.
Under such circumstances, choosing Leping is undoubtedly a second best option.
But Zhang Yang felt that his reasons were quite sufficient. "If I go to the prefecture with Zhang Liao, having two at a time is always not as valuable as having only one. I am not as good as Zhang Liao in judging the situation, so it is better to choose a place where I only need to obey the deployment."
"Besides, Marquis Qiao has said before that he didn't give us the credit for eliminating the bandits out of kindness, but also to pave the way for his own advice. I think he doesn't just plan to stay in Leping. In addition, I admire Marquis Qiao's arrangements for this trip to Yunzhongshan, so it's reasonable for me to have this idea."
Zhang Yang's reason was not entirely to say that he had no intention of making achievements, but that he planned to build a platform at the middle gate.
Qiao Yan looked at Zhang Yang. Although there was a hint of wildness in the young man's eyes when he answered, his expression was stern. Especially the statement that "two people going together is not as valuable as one person" was said so frankly. Qiao Yan undoubtedly had a good impression of him and could not help but think about this possibility.
If his request is granted, is there any position in Leping where he can work?
Maybe there is.
Qiao Yan currently only lets Zhao Yun lead the county government, and plans to gradually transform the Black Mountain bandits who are still working for the "Leping Manufacturing Industry" into soldiers who can be commanded. Then select some people from among the county residents to form a systematic team in Leping.
But Zhao Yun was still young, and he might not be able to suppress others just by relying on martial arts. Besides, his style of doing things was relatively upright, so it might be okay for him to command a regular army, but it would be a bit out of place for him to lead a team mostly composed of Black Mountain bandits.
Qiao Yan originally intended to subdue Chu Yan or Zhang Niu Jiao and let them take on the responsibility of the deputy general. However, he couldn't help but worry that if he handed the Black Mountain bandits over to them again, without any real power restrictions in Leping, they might develop inappropriate ambitions.
If we change it to Zhang Yang and put someone else on top of him, it would indeed be possible!
She finished this assessment in such a short time, but she also knew that this was not the way to recruit people, so she just replied: "Leping is still a small place after all. Uncle Zhi was able to make contributions in the matter of the bandits in Yunzhong. He is a talented general. It would be a pity to keep him in Leping. Why don't we first see what kind of person this governor is. If he can directly serve the prefecture, he won't have to be confined to a small county."
Seeing that Zhang Yang still had something to say, she raised her hand to signal Zhang Yang not to continue.
"Uncle Zhi has high hopes for me, and I am grateful in my heart, but starting out in the prefecture is an excellent resume, and this is not the way to make the decision. If the prefectural elder has the demeanor of a commander, even if Uncle Zhi says he doesn't know how to do things in a roundabout way, it won't prevent him from making a name for himself under his command and becoming a local general."
Zhang Yang saw the firmness in Qiao Yan's words, and his unwillingness to let talented people go unnoticed, so he did not say any more about the matter and planned to wait until he met Zhang Liao before discussing it.
After he left the small building, he waited for half a day at the inn where he and Zhang Liao had stayed before, and finally waited for the other party to come back.
As soon as they met, he found that Zhang Liao's expression did not seem to be very happy.
He couldn't help but ask, "How about the governor of the prefecture?"
Zhang Liao replied, "He gave me the position of Wu Meng in the state."
"Isn't this a good thing?" Zhang Yang was quite surprised by his behavior.
What kind of responsibilities Wu Meng has to bear in this position can be seen from his title.
This is a direct subordinate of a provincial governor, and is the kind that oversees military affairs. The power he holds is certainly not small.
Although the Inspector did not have direct power to mobilize military forces, the improvisation of responses in border areas often did not impose so many restrictions on military commanders in such positions, and he had ample opportunities to learn and do more.
This is equivalent to going directly from a white-collar worker to the highest position he can hold given his current age and resume.
Logically speaking, after hearing such news, even if Zhang Yang realized that he was penniless, he would still drink with Zhang Liao to celebrate.
But it seemed that the good news he thought was not entirely true for Zhang Liao.
He shook his head and replied, "This matter is a bit complicated. Let's meet with Lord Qiao first."
Since Qiao Yan had been a supporter of Zhang Liao, he did not hide anything and told Qiao Yan everything he had seen today.
Or perhaps, from his performance it was more like the governor's actions did not satisfy him, at least it did not meet Zhang Liao's definition of a superior.
"I met the governor when I entered the provincial government earlier. He asked me if I was interested in taking up a post in Luoyang. With such military power, I will surely be able to stand out in the capital." Zhang Liao frowned when he said this.
Not everyone is willing to serve in the heart of the Han Dynasty and seek fame and fortune among princes and nobles.
For example, Zhang Liao wanted to get a commission in the provincial government. Essentially, it was to deal with the plundering of the border areas by the Xianbei and Huns, rather than to become a soldier of the Northern Army by force.
Naturally, he would stay in Bingzhou to work.
But although the other party praised his abilities right from the start, he did not seem to take his request of "willing to die for Bingzhou and defend the border" to heart. Instead, after once again praising his record of wiping out the bandits in Yunzhong Mountain, he directly asked him whether he was interested in going to Luoyang.
Qiao Yan did not feel proud of Zhang Yi's amazing operation because he thought that he was giving him points in the opposite direction. Instead, he thought about it and replied, "Logically speaking, no matter how wrong his judgment was, or how eager he was to recommend talents to the capital, he should not have said it at this time. This is not an inference that would be drawn under normal circumstances."
Even if Zhang Yi felt that Zhang Liao's style of behavior was too arrogant and wanted to throw this hot potato away, at least he should not do so at this juncture.
It wasn't even good for him.
Qiao Yan asked again: "May I ask if there is anyone else around him?"
Zhang Liao replied, "Lord Qiao is wise. If it weren't for this, I wouldn't have told my uncle that this matter is a bit complicated. There is a captain accompanying the governor, who must be escorting him here."
"The position of a provincial governor is much higher than that of a school lieutenant, but when I refused to serve in the capital and preferred to start as a county official in the border area, he first looked at the school lieutenant's face."
Zhang Liao was obviously puzzled by the situation. If he hadn't been very perceptive, he might not have noticed the exchange between the two.
It was obvious that Zhang Yi withdrew his decision to arrange him to Luoyang only after obtaining that man's permission, and instead appointed him to an important military post in the prefecture and county, so as to give an explanation to the people of Bingzhou. In other words, he gave a high position to the brave man who eradicated bandits as soon as he took office, which shows that he really judges people by their merits.
To the curious people outside waiting for the result, this might be a perfect ending to an episode when the governor took office. However, after the twists and turns of this decision, it was difficult for Zhang Liao to feel submissive to Zhang Yi just because of this post that was finalized late.
This firstly showed that he had no empathy or concern for the talented people he met. Secondly, as a governor, he had to look at the face of a captain in the capital, which made him seem spineless.
How can such a person be worthy of the authority of a state?
Although one should not draw a conclusion based on a single performance, Zhang Liao also realized that he was too young to make judgments based on experience, and at this moment he relied more on his intuition. However, since he had this initial impression in his mind, he could not help but have some prejudice against Zhang Yi.
Fortunately, thanks to the new military position given by Zhang Yi, he was able to start by supervising military affairs. If we ignore Zhang Yi's performance this time, it might be a good start.
After Zhang Liao said these words, he felt more or less relieved and now planned to calm down and take up his post.
But thinking of what Qiao Yan had said before, she actually wanted to decide how she should assist the governor based on the treatment Zhang Liao received. Now that Zhang Yi acted in this way, he couldn't help but worry about the situation of Marquis Leping.
But what he saw was that Qiao Yan did not show any sign of being upset by the unexpected news. He just said, "Could you please describe the appearance of that captain to me?"
Zhang Liao recalled the man he had seen before and replied, "He is about thirty years old, with a very outstanding appearance and an unusual demeanor. If I must say..."
Zhang Liao thought about the day when Qiao Yan asked him and Zhang Yang to compete with someone at Wang's residence, and found a reference, "This person looks like a child from an aristocratic family."
A descendant of aristocratic family?
This was not an ordinary behavior, but Zhang Liao said it with certainty, so it was probably true.
If we consider what Qiao Yan had previously deduced, that the appointment of these provincial governors was Liu Hong's attempt to balance the aristocratic families after he restarted the provincial governor system, then Zhang Yi's decision on the position of Zhang Liao, which was inquired by a captain from an aristocratic family, does not seem to be a difficult thing to understand.
At the age of thirty, he has an extraordinary appearance and bearing, and can be a lieutenant...
In Qiao Yan's impression, there really is a candidate!
She quickly contacted the head of the Wang family.
Qiao Yan couldn't find someone to follow him in Jinyang City for the time being, so he could only choose the local tyrant.
No matter whether the captain with a special identity left the provincial capital and walked around the city, or stayed indoors until leaving Jinyang and returning to Luoyang, there would always be a chance for him to show up, so Wang would just keep an eye on him.
Fortunately, she didn't have to wait long.
The team escorting Zhang Yi to Bingzhou was not like Bao Hong and others in Leping before. They had to wait until Qiao Xuan's temple was completed before they could leave.
Seeing that Zhang Yi had gained brave warriors to surrender as soon as he arrived here, and perhaps because most of the things that needed to be explained had been explained, this group of Luoyang soldiers set off after only two days.
The team filed out of Jinyang's south gate and caught the eyes of Qiao Yan who was nearby.
Before this team entered the city, Qiao Yan focused almost all his attention on Zhang Yi, and inevitably neglected to pay attention to the soldiers behind him.
At this moment, while scanning the faces of these soldiers, he saw a man who was indeed wearing the uniform of a lieutenant. He did not appear at the head of the team, but was mixed in among the soldiers. His face was partially covered by the brim of his armor, which reduced his presence.
This undoubtedly explains why Qiao Yan had not noticed his existence before.
But Qiao Yan had seen him before, so how could he not recognize him because of this obstruction?
Zhang Liao's judgment that he was a child of an aristocratic family was not wrong.
This is Yuan Shao Yuan Benchu!
So, if Zhang Yi relied heavily on his opinions, this Bingzhou governor was a disciple of Runan Yuan?
Qiao Yan's brows furrowed for a moment and then relaxed.
This seems like bad news, but it is also good news at the same time!
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