At this moment, Lu Baichuan, who was still in the handover work at Huoyun Division, suddenly sneezed, and a bad premonition suddenly welled up in his heart.
"Third Master, have you caught a cold?"
The brothers below were all very concerned, but Qin Jian just rolled his eyes coldly.
Even though they were dealing with all sorts of things during the Spring Festival, none of them caught a cold. How could Lu Baichuan, who was going home for the Spring Festival with his wife, children, and a warm bed, possibly catch a cold?
Besides, his sister-in-law is a doctor, would she let that thing get cold?
To put it bluntly, it's just being pretentious!
"It's okay, let's continue."
Lu Baichuan shook his head. Although the bad premonition was getting stronger, he still had to deal with the current situation first.
“I am going to the capital to take up my post, and I cannot be without my own people by my side. Therefore, I have decided to select three of you to take with me. Those who are willing, please step forward.”
Upon hearing this, everyone became excited, as this was an opportunity.
Although Huoyun Division is good and Qin Jian is also very good, many people wish to follow Lu Baichuan. Firstly, it is because of their respect for him, and secondly, it is naturally for their future. Lu Baichuan has been promoted so quickly, and following him will give them a greater chance to stand out.
After just one glance, more than half of the people stood up.
Qin Jian watched silently. Although he was a little sad, he could understand. If it weren't for his own position, he would have wanted to go too.
He even glanced at the few people around him who hadn't stepped forward and asked, "Why don't you guys give it a try?"
The group laughed and said, "The capital is nice, but Second Master can't be without anyone by his side. It doesn't matter where he is, he can take his time."
Qin Jian smiled and patted them on the shoulder, saying, "Alright, let's go to the capital together to develop our careers!"
Originally, Qin Jian's ambition wasn't that strong. At first, he just wanted to work with Lu Baichuan, since he had gotten used to it over the years. He planned to work for a year or two and then have the Crown Prince find someone to replace him, so he could continue working with Lu Baichuan.
But now, looking at the brothers who chose to stay for him, his sense of responsibility was suddenly stirred.
He could go to find Lu Baichuan alone, but he couldn't take these brothers with him unless they all made great contributions and all the brothers were promoted together.
If his brothers stayed behind for him, he wanted to make them feel that staying was worthwhile, and that he could take them to the capital in the future.
Lu Baichuan looked at the majority of his brothers who had stepped forward, cleared his throat and said, "I understand your intentions, brothers, but I only need three people. The rest of you can stay in Jingzhou and do your jobs well. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future."
Everyone was very excited and said, "Don't worry, Third Master, we know!"
We're all brothers who've been through thick and thin together, so it doesn't matter who gets chosen.
Lu Baichuan nodded and then said, "Okay, Li Dazhuang, Zhang Chao, and Feng Qian, the three of you come with me."
Everyone was immediately surprised, including the three people who were named.
None of them expected to be chosen. After all, among so many people, the three of them were the least capable, and they were just standing up for fun.
Qin Jian frowned, but said nothing.
"Third Master, the three of us should just give up. We know our own limitations and might not be able to help you."
Do only what you are capable of. The competition in the capital is fierce. If Third Master takes them with him, he will not get a few assistants, but rather a burden.
They can still do their jobs normally in Jingzhou, but it's hard to say what will happen if they go to the capital.
"What, do you think you're not good enough?"
Lu Baichuan looked at them with a half-smile. The group was about to nod instinctively when they suddenly realized something and exclaimed loudly, "Okay!"
A man can't say no; he has to do it even if he can't!
"That's settled then. Go and get ready. Come with me to the capital in three days."
Lu Baichuan didn't give them a chance to speak, and called Qin Jian into his office to talk about things.
"Why not choose a few more capable people?"
As soon as he entered, before he could even get down to business, Qin Jian raised a question.
"All I need are my own people. It doesn't matter how capable they are. If they're not, I can train them to be. But you absolutely cannot be without capable people here."
Lu Baichuan rarely spoke to him seriously, explaining that there were many things to do in the capital this time, and he might not be able to take care of things here. No matter what happened, Qin Jian would have to solve it himself. While Qin Jian needed to cultivate his confidants, he also needed capable people to assist him so that he could rise in rank faster.
In fact, this sudden separation was not only difficult for Qin Jian to adjust to, but also for him.
Over the years, no matter what happened, they had gotten used to brainstorming together, especially Qin Jian. Sometimes he might not be able to get things done well, but his advice was always excellent. He looked forward to fighting alongside Qin Jian again soon.
Qin Jian paused for a moment, feeling touched but not wanting to be sentimental, and said, "You want me to handle those bandits personally?"
"Hmm, I think that matter is not simple."
Lu Baichuan nodded and continued, "Those bandits have been entrenched for years. The Jingzhou government couldn't possibly be unaware of this, yet they turn a blind eye and don't even report it, allowing the bandits to rob and plunder along the way. Send more people to investigate those mountain strongholds. There might be other bandits there. They were all refugees who fled here years ago, but were forced into banditry because they weren't accepted by the government. What you need to do is not only to settle those bandits, but more importantly, to investigate what these Jingzhou officials are doing behind the scenes."
“Jingzhou is the Crown Prince’s strong rear base and our escape route. The officials here must not have any disloyalty, as you know. Catch those rats hiding in the stinking ditch, and I believe the Crown Prince will be very happy.”
Lu Baichuan originally wanted to investigate these matters himself, but now that he has to take up a post in the capital, he can't investigate them. So he can only hand them over to Qin Jian. These matters seem small, but in fact they can lead to a large chain. It all depends on how deep Qin Jian can dig.
Qin Jian did not answer immediately; he was reflecting on himself.
He knew he had never been as meticulous as Lu Baichuan, and he couldn't see through the essence of many things. For example, he thought this bandit incident was just an ordinary bandit suppression mission, but he didn't expect it to involve the officialdom of Jingzhou. This was also his oversight.
"Okay, I understand. I'll investigate myself."
Qin Jian finally nodded, thinking to himself that this time he was going to make a big splash.
Lu Baichuan said, "As the commander-in-chief, you don't need to investigate personally. Don't forget, you have many capable brothers under your command. You should pay more attention to them, promote them, and cultivate a few trusted confidants. That way, you'll have time to do other things and try to solve more cases."
He rarely investigated things personally before, unless he felt it was dangerous or that others couldn't handle it. In the rest of the time, even if he was idle, he would let his subordinates do it, which was also a kind of training for them.
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