Chapter 65, Chapter Thirteen: A Piece of Jade from Kunshan
In both his past and present lives, Liu Jun's greatest hardship was not a lack of food and clothing, but a lack of talented individuals.
My life has been filled with constant warfare, and I rarely have a moment of peace. So I'm seizing the opportunity to recruit talented people in Chang'an.
“When I was reading Mozi in Ye City, there was a sentence that I deeply agree with,” Liu Jun said to his retainers, “If a country has many virtuous and capable people, then the country will be well-governed; if it has few virtuous and capable people, then the country will be poorly governed.”
"What you say is absolutely right, sir," the crowd echoed.
Looking at them, Liu Jun felt an even bigger headache. Those he valued—his relatives Liu Yi and Liu Qi, among others—had been kept in Liangzhou; Liu Dan in Pingyang; and while Lu Jing and Yin Xiaocheng were trusted confidants, none were capable generals. Ji Dan and Wei Xiong, however, were talented generals from the north, and he had already used them for training troops. In recent years, Zhuge Quan and Liu Chou had passed away one after another, leaving him with a severe shortage of capable civil officials. Not to mention a strategist capable of planning and strategizing, he couldn't even find a single competent official to manage the rear.
As for his cousins Wen Qiao and Lu Chen, Lu Chen is in Bingzhou, and if Wen Qiao is in mourning in his hometown, he is also in Bingzhou. Now Liu Kun has no shortage of capable advisors.
Among all the people, Wen Qiao stands out in terms of bloodline, talent, and friendship. The only concern is that Wen Qiao deeply admires Liu Kun and considers it his lifelong ambition to be a loyal minister of the Jin Dynasty. Moreover, he has served Sima Ye for more than ten years and is both his teacher and brother. Asking him to change his mind is simply as difficult as climbing to heaven.
Sometimes Liu Jun often regretted that he should not have let Wen Qiao serve in the Prince of Qin's mansion. Although it brought him closer to Sima Ye, it also sowed the seeds of future troubles.
But what's done is done, and further discussion is pointless. Liu Jun pulled his thoughts back to the headquarters, looking at the various recommendation and self-recommendation cards in his hand, and couldn't help but laugh out loud, "The Pei family of Wenxi, the Wang family of Taiyuan, the Yang family of Hongnong, the Xun family of Yingchuan, the Guo family of Taiyuan, the Cui family of Qinghe..."
The other staff members looked at him blankly.
Liu Jun held these name cards in his hand. The names of the people listed were all very similar, including Sanzhi, Xingzhi, and Huizhi. Their moral character and conduct were also largely the same, nothing more than entertaining their parents with amusement, fanning their pillows and warming their quilts, and weeping at their graves upon hearing thunder. Upon closer inspection, however, they all claimed to have no real achievements, and all of them were like Jie Zitui of their time, with no trace of civil or military accomplishments.
"Since you are so indifferent to fame and fortune, why should I force these scholars to come out of seclusion?" Liu Jun smiled faintly and put the name cards aside. "Post a notice for me and say that I want to recruit five or six staff members: one for land reclamation, one for criminal law, one for grain transport, one for clerkship, and one for accounting."
“This… Your Excellency is being too hasty by not examining talent and character, but only looking at duties. Moreover, how can these distinguished scholars and literati be allowed to do such menial work?” Someone in the shogunate spoke up indignantly.
Liu Jun said calmly, "Zhuge Liang once said, 'Those who choose officials for their positions will cause chaos, while those who choose officials for their positions will bring order.' Now, no one in the staff is doing these things. Either you gentlemen do your best to handle them properly, or we can only recruit talented people to share the burden."
The advisors before me, apart from a few selected from Bingzhou and Liangzhou, were mostly recent arrivals. I did not see a single brilliant strategy or plan, but I could hear endless philosophical discussions.
If it weren't for the fact that they were a powerful clan with a strong army and a fortified stronghold, Liu Jun wouldn't have bothered with them at all.
He didn't ask for much, and soon several people came to apply, most of them from humble backgrounds, except for one who was an illegitimate son from a third-rate family.
Liu Jun was always generous to his subordinates and kind to people, so these people worked even harder, and the affairs of the shogunate were soon on the right track.
It's a pity that we never got to see strategists like Xun You and Guo Jia, or prime ministers like Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi.
Fortunately, Liu Jun was very patient. He used his staff and clerks who were capable, and he would teach those who were useful. Everyone was flattered and worked hard, and almost everyone made some progress.
As a Chamberlain, Liu Jun would go to the Secretariat every three days to review the few imperial edicts available. On the same day, he would enter the palace to accompany the emperor and discuss books with Sima Ye.
The rest of the days were spent in the camp outside the city. Currently, he has 10,000 troops under his command in Liangzhou, under Liu Qi's control, to assist Zu Ti in reclaiming lost territory to the east. More than 30,000 troops are stationed in Pingyang, under Liu Dan's command, to defend against Liu Yao's invasion at any time. There are also 100,000 troops under Liu Kun's command and 8,000 troops under Liu Yan's command, which can be quickly mobilized if asked.
However, to avoid suspicion, he only brought two thousand soldiers with him this time. Fearing that they would become rusty after not being on the battlefield for a long time, he went to train them every day. In addition, Ji Dan and Wei Xiong brought a lot of Xianbei cavalry. With their combined efforts, these two thousand men had the appearance of elite troops, not much different from the Lynx Camp.
Half a year passed in this way, until one night, Yin Xiaocheng rushed over in the rain to report that Liu Jun couldn't help but laugh three times upon hearing the news—after Liu Cong was captured, Liu Can succeeded to the throne. Because Liu Can favored the Jin family, his father Jin Zhun actually plotted to usurp the throne, murdered Liu Can, and exterminated more than half of the Xiongnu Liu clan. For a time, the East Market was filled with heads. After doing all this, he even called himself the Great General and the Heavenly King of Han, and at the same time, he submitted to the Jin Dynasty.
Liu Jun personally visited Liu Cong, who was still in custody. Since the ceremony of presenting prisoners had not yet been performed, Liu Cong and his close ministers were imprisoned in a secluded place with strict security. Although they were no longer dressed in fine clothes and eaten in luxury, they were still well-fed and well-treated and were not humiliated.
"What are you doing here? Are you here to ridicule me?" Liu Cong looked at him coldly.
Liu Jun stood before him with his hands behind his back, "Liu Ya, Liu Ming, Liu Fu..."
After reciting more than ten names, Liu Cong's expression grew increasingly grim. "What happened to them? Did you kill them?"
Liu Jun shook his head, "Of course not, it's Jin Zhun."
"They're gone?" Liu Cong's eyes widened in disbelief. "Impossible! He wouldn't dare!"
"What is there to be afraid of?" Liu Jun sneered. "You were arrogant, extravagant, cruel, and tyrannical, and you killed countless people. You should have thought that this day would come."
Liu Cong's lips trembled. "Liu Can... Jin Zhun dares to act so presumptuously, he must be dead."
“Indeed, Jin Zhun killed him first.” Liu Jun looked at the flickering candlelight. “Now the Xiongnu and Han kingdoms are in chaos, and your Chancellor Liu Yao has seized the opportunity. Why don’t you make a bet with me and guess when Liu Yao will ascend the throne?”
Liu Cong, whether he had been practicing Zen or attaining enlightenment during this time, had become much smarter than before. Hearing this, he remained silent for a long time before speaking again, his heart filled with despair. "Now the Han Kingdom is in the center, with Sima Rui to the south, Shi Le to the east, Zu Ti to the southwest, and the Xianbei to the north. In Guanzhong alone, there is the imperial court, Liu Kun, Jia Pi, and you. Surrounded by powerful enemies, I'm afraid it won't last more than a few years."
“Clear and transparent.” Liu Jun nodded, then suddenly reached out to touch the candlelight. His slender fingers were stretched extremely long by the dim light, like the long spear he usually used. His back was also straight, making him radiant, like the long sword hanging at his waist.
“I suddenly feel,” Liu Cong murmured, “that you are more like an emperor than I am.”
"Is that so?" Liu Jun smiled, neither confirming nor denying.
Liu Yao raised an army to quell the rebellion and appointed Shi Le as Grand General. The two armies formed a pincer movement and attacked Jin Zhun.
At the end of the same year, Sima Ye issued a proclamation to all the governors to come to the capital.
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