Chapter 311: Return to the plane, select talents

"Ouch!"

Liu Xiu was caught off guard, clutching his head, looking at his Gaozu with a look of astonishment, his grievances overflowing.

He was the Son of Heaven, yet he was treated like this by his ancestor in the court; if this spread, it would be unheard of.

Liu Bang withdrew his hand, curled his lips, and taught: "Great-grandson, why be so polite?"

"Look at you, why be polite to the Immortal?"

"I was the same as you back then, obedient to whatever the Immortal said, but the Immortal slapped me awake!"

"Thinking about it now, that was good for me!"

His movements and tone were exactly the same as what Gu Shanhe had done to him back then.

Liu Xiu rubbed the back of his head, laughing and crying, but didn't dare to flare up.

On the other side, the figure of Qin Shi Huang Ying Zheng also appeared quietly.

He just glanced at Liu Xiu lightly when he heard this, and added a sentence coldly, perfectly interpreting what is called "adding frost to snow":

"He means, don't talk nonsense, just do it."

As soon as this was said, the atmosphere in the hall became a bit strange.

Liu Xiu, the dignified Guangwu Emperor, was slapped on the back of the head by his Gaozu in public, and had to be "spurred" by Qin Shi Huang.

That embarrassed look made Liu Che try his best to hold back his laughter, his shoulders shrugging, his face flushed, and he had to try hard to maintain his superficial seriousness.

Liu Bang leaned close to Liu Xiu, lowered his voice, and "imparted experience" in the tone of someone who had been there.

"Great-grandson, I tell you, the Immortal is good at everything, but he is impatient."

"He says do it, so you have to do it; if you say one 'no', he can nag you for three days."

"Listen, you won't be wrong!"

Ying Zheng put forward higher requirements for Liu Xiu, although the words were still concise.

"I was faster than you back then."

"The Immortal said to make a steam engine, and I understood the blueprint in three months."

"What about you? You haven't even seen the blueprint."

Liu Che finally couldn't help laughing out loud and walked up.

He patted Liu Xiu on the shoulder and helped him out: "Great-grandfather, First Emperor, don't scare him."

"Xiuer, the Immortal's rules are very simple—listen and do it, don't ask why."

"Once you do this, the benefits will naturally be yours."

Liu Xiu looked at these ancestor-level emperors, one with a headache, one helpless, one trying to hold back laughter.

In the end, he could only turn into a sigh, bowed deeply to Gu Shanhe again, his tone carrying a firm resignation: "Xiu is willing to follow the Immortal's arrangements."

Gu Shanhe stood up, walked to the center of the hall, did not explain much, just stretched out his finger and drew lightly in the void.

A portal emitting soft light appeared out of thin air, with light and shadow flowing behind the door, obviously connecting to an unknown place.

"Go back to your own homes and pick people."

Gu Shanhe said concisely, "I want the best craftsmen, the smartest brains, and the most capable generals."

"Target, Luoyang, Eastern Han."

"Yes!"

The three emperors responded in unison and stepped into the portal without hesitation, disappearing.

Their mission was clear:

From their respective dynasties, select the top talents to support Liu Xiu's Great Han and jointly start an unprecedented change.

The first place Gu Shanhe and his party returned to was the Great Qin.

Ying Zheng returned to Xianyang Palace, just in time for Li Si to trot up and want to salute and report.

Ying Zheng raised his hand to stop him, his voice without any emotion:

"Go, call all the craftsmen and alchemists under the Shaofu; I want to pick people."

Li Si was stunned; there were thousands of craftsmen under the Shaofu, and more than a hundred alchemists; calling them all together was a big move.

"Your Majesty, there are three thousand craftsmen in the Shaofu, call them all?" He confirmed carefully.

Ying Zheng glanced sideways, his eyes calm and waveless, but it made Li Si tremble, as if he saw the end of disobeying the decree, and hurriedly bowed and retreated: "Your subject will go now!"

In less than half a day, the Xianyang Palace drill ground was crowded with people, and three thousand craftsmen and one hundred and twenty alchemists gathered according to the order.

Ying Zheng sat high on the platform, in front of him was the list given by Gu Shanhe—steam engine, gunpowder, blast furnace steelmaking, textile machinery, soda making, soap making, glass.

He read item by item, and those who were proficient stood out.

The process was fast and efficient.

Those who were good at casting, proficient in smelting, understood gunpowder, and were familiar with civil engineering... those who were named were excited and stood to the left.

After most of the day, more than four hundred people stood on the left.

Ying Zheng scanned them, his brows slightly frowned: "Too many."

In the end, only two hundred were left.

An old craftsman with white hair, because he was proficient in casting, was among them.

He was so excited that he knelt down on the spot and kowtowed repeatedly:

"Old subject... thank Your Majesty for your grace!"

Ying Zheng looked at him, his tone slightly eased: "Stop kowtowing, work is important."

And those who were not selected, although they showed regret, no one complained.

Ying Zheng left a sentence: "You stay in the Qin State, and you will also have great use."

Suddenly, the drill ground knelt down, shouting long live.

Afterwards, everyone came to the Great Han where Liu Bang was.

Liu Bang returned to Weiyang Palace, did not go to the court, and turned directly into the weapon workshop.

This person, in terms of governing the country, might not be as good as Xiao He, and in terms of fighting and charging, might not be as good as Han Xin, but in terms of knowing and using people, he was unique.

His selection method was completely different from Ying Zheng's.

Ying Zheng liked mass selection, Liu Bang preferred recommendations.

He called Xiao He, Cao Can, Zhou Bo, Fan Kuai, and a few old buddies, and got straight to the point.

"I want to borrow a batch of capable craftsmen to go with the Immortal to do big things."

"Each of you recommend ten to me, the ones with the most real skills, don't use those who are just mixing for food."

Xiao He pondered for a moment and recommended several capable officials in charge of water conservancy and engineering;

Cao Can recommended experts in iron smelting and forging;

Zhou Bo recommended several clever craftsmen who made weapons.

When it was Fan Kuai's turn, this black guy scratched his ears and cheeks, held back for a long time, and actually recommended a pig killer!

Liu Bang wondered: "A pig killer? What are you going there for?"

Fan Kuai was righteous: "Brother, killing pigs is the same as fighting, the key is to know how to use the knife!"

"This kid's knife technique is nimble, bone removal and skinning are clean and neat; I see his hands are steady and his heart is careful, he must be able to do it well!"

Liu Bang was stunned for a moment, then laughed loudly, pointing at Fan Kuai and scolding:

"You killer! Well, one more person is one more force, bring him!"

Among the people recommended by Zhou Bo, there was a sixteen-year-old little blacksmith, thin and small, looking unremarkable.

Liu Bang asked him: "Kid, how old are you?"

The little blacksmith straightened his chest and said loudly: "Back to Your Majesty, sixteen!"

Liu Bang looked him up and down and smiled: "Sixteen years old and dare to come out to break through? Courageous! Okay, you go too!"

In the end, Liu Bang selected one hundred and fifty people, although fewer than Ying Zheng, but each was a practical person he carefully selected.

Liu Che returned to his era, the first thing was not to go to Weiyang Palace to discuss matters, but to go straight to the Taixue.

He remembered Gu Shanhe's words—"Talent is not just craftsmen, but also scholars."

The doctors of the Taixue heard that the emperor wanted to select talents from them to follow the Immortal, and they were excited.

A doctor with white hair and beard stepped forward excitedly, with a "Versailles" face:

"Your Majesty, my colleagues and I have studied hard for years, what we seek is not high officials and rich salaries, but to serve the country!"

"If we are lucky enough to be valued by the Immortal, we will definitely do our best and not fail the holy grace!"

Saying that, he didn't forget to squeeze forward.

Liu Che held back his laughter and did not select those corrupt scholars who only knew how to look for chapters and sentences, but specifically selected pragmatic scholars who were proficient in water conservancy, mathematics, astronomy, and calendar.

In addition, he also selected twenty young officers from the Yulin Army.

Most of these officers came from the military and showed extraordinary management talents at a young age.

Liu Che promised them: "You follow the Immortal, experience it, and when you come back, you will be my pillars, and you will be able to be named a marquis and a general!"

The young officers heard this, their eyes lit up instantly, and they saluted in unison: "Follow Your Majesty's instructions!" ===== CHAPTER 312 =====