Chapter 1107

Chen Wuji and Chu Xiu and a few others were in Zhangye City on a cloudy afternoon, holding a discussion of reputations.

In the end, Chen Wuji won.

He successfully suppressed these few strategists with his own knowledge and his status as lord.

Chen Wuji believed this should be one of the few victories of wit he had achieved in his lifetime.

Chu Xiu and Zhao Chen were still young; they were either unconventional or orthodox, but neither could be considered truly mature.

Xu Zengyi had never been stingy with praise for these few people; in Xu Zengyi's words, given time, these people would surely become the left and right arms and pillars of the state.

They are now Chen Wuji's left and right arms, but the four words "pillars of the state" carry too much weight.

In the history Chen Wuji is familiar with, any pillar of the state is not merely a name left in simple history, but a name left in history to be worshipped generation after generation.

……

After Chu Xiu and the others left, Xu Zengyi slowly shuffled in.

"Sir, are you just standing aside watching the fun?" Chen Wuji took alcohol to moisten his throat.

Sitting and discussing reputations with a group of scholar-officials is not an easy thing; truly speaking, it has made my throat feel like it's about to smoke.

Xu Zengyi waved his hand in embarrassment, "My lord, your words wrongly blame this deputy officer; I had already advised them, but I could not persuade them. They each have their own arguments, a group of people gathered together, I feel as if I have been surrounded and beaten with sticks by a crowd."

Chen Wuji lost laughter, "Don't say it, but it really is like that. Tell me about it…… my throat is dry, my back is about to sweat, when I personally led troops in charge before, I don't think it was ever this hard."

"They are just unlucky to have encountered the lord; if it were someone else, two sentences would have sent them packing." Xu Zengyi laughed, taking out a register and handing it to Chen Wuji.

"What is this?"

"These are the literati and scholar-officials who have come to seek refuge these past two days; some are good at literature, some at martial arts; this deputy officer has spoken with each individually, listed some people; these should be those who truly have ink in their bellies and real skills in their hands!" Xu Zengyi said.

Chen Wuji opened the register, "Just this first page?"

"Yes!"

"Are there really this many people who have come to seek refuge these past two days?" Chen Wuji was somewhat surprised.

He had thought it would be only one or two pages, but upon flipping, the entire book was filled with names, nearly a hundred in total.

Chen Wuji has not yet seen such a scale of seeking refuge.

After he conquered Qiang Land, there was once a time when over forty people came.

"Yes." Xu Zengyi chuckled lightly.

"This deputy officer was also extremely surprised, and even specially asked them; they said they gradually gathered together on the road, the farthest coming from the Bei Fang San Jun, the nearest from the Shangfang Commandery and the Jiannan Commandery."

Chen Wuji's expression froze for a moment, "They shouldn't have come just because they heard about the envoy's matter and came out of admiration, right?"

"That's not the case!" Xu Zengyi shook his head.

"Among these people, aside from those from the Jiannan Commandery and the Shangfang Commandery, all came out of admiration for the lord's name, merely happening to gather together; because the warlordism in various regions has become increasingly severe, everywhere is in turmoil of war and horses, they thus banded together to walk, seeking self-preservation!"

"The scholar-officials coming from the Jiannan Commandery mostly heard that Guo Jin'ge, the commandant of Hezhou, had surrendered, and the lord sent a lone army to cross the Shangfang Commandery and march north to the Jiannan Commandery before they came to seek refuge."

"The reasons for the scholar-officials and military commanders from the Shangfang Commandery coming to seek refuge are similar to those from the Jiannan Commandery; the difference is that more military commanders came from the Shangfang Commandery. The situations of these people are roughly similar: they hold little power in their hands, and they dislike those who hold power, thus including those who came on their backs to seek refuge with the lord."

"The number of military commanders from the various prefectures of the Shangfang Commandery is not small, amounting to seventeen people. I specially asked Hu Bugui and Xie Fengxian, two generals, to talk with them; the result…… I accidentally stirred up trouble."

Chen Wuji laughed, "Have the outstanding ones already been snatched away by them?"

"……Yes."

Xu Zengyi wore an expression of helplessness, "I originally asked them to come and work, but I did not expect these two to be so unreasonable; a few outstanding military commanders, the two of them privately conspired and took them all away, not leaving a single one. The other commanders, upon hearing the news, are now blocking the doorway, scolding their mothers."

Chen Wuji smiled, "This meal is only delicious when fought over."

"That's true; that day during the discussion, over that bit of roasted meat on the charcoal basin, a group of people almost came to blows!"

"No need to worry about it; those military commanders, whoever has the ability takes them, how they arrange them I don't care; I only look at the military merit ledger. Chen Wuji holds a completely Buddhist attitude toward this; as long as the lower commanders can squeeze people into our army, they take them away."

For military commanders, in Chen Wuji's view, there have always been only two standards.

Moral character and military merit!

Whoever has military merit rises, whoever lacks ability falls; there is no such thing as occupying a latrine without defecating!

The military merit system he established, as far as can be seen, generally excludes situations of nepotism and fraud.

Military merit fraud can directly implicate the Training Officer Chen Baojia and the Commandant of the Garrison Guo Shuhan; whether it is the lower commanders or the Commandant of the Garrison's subordinates who examine military merit, they all have to weigh and consider.

"Among the scholar-officials, sir, do you have any you fancy?" Chen Wuji asked, "I am not asking about those you circled out as having genuine talent and learning, but about those who make you feel astonished, who could enter your retinue."

The term "retinue" in the notions of many people refers to guests, to those who walk in the gate.

But in Chen Wuji's case, the retinue's Assistant Officers have actually already shouldered nearly half the functions of the cabinet.

Because military affairs are complex and numerous, the Assistant Officers have too much to do; otherwise, Chen Wuji would have long ago added burdens to them, letting them formally shoulder the cabinet's load.

Chen Wuji now feels that for those matters that cannot be left unhandled, but when handled can be big or small, can be present or absent, he can already say he is suffering from a headache beyond endurance.

Because of these matters, he daily lights the lamp and stays up late, severely affecting his rest and relaxation.

"This matter, this deputy officer really cannot say well!" Xu Zengyi shook his head.

"Sir, you need not be so cautious; I know there are no relatives of yours here, nor your guest retainers; if there are, there are; if not, not; just speak plainly." Chen Wuji instantly grasped the reason for Xu Zengyi's hesitation.

Xu Zengyi said, "My lord, originally there were none, but if I recommend them upward, from now on they will become my guest retainers. Today is different from before; some words, I truly dare not say; why not have my lord personally look?"

"I dislike trouble, and moreover, I personally looking may not necessarily see clearly; sir, hurry up and speak." Chen Wuji slumped onto the soft cushion, instantly transforming into a landlord's ignorant son who only knows to shout for his father.

Xu Zengyi helplessly advised, "My lord, if you dislike trouble, you may command the various generals and various Assistant Officers to look together; it would not hurt to take the Jiannan Commandery and the Shangfang Commandery as examples, and have the scholar-officials answer."

"This question is hard to fake, and it can also distinguish their true levels."

Chen Wuji sighed, "Sir, to avoid suspicion, you are truly not having an easy time. Very well, then I will follow your advice; today we will hold a banquet, and set the examination on the spot."