Chapter 167: Subduing the Fierce General

This banquet.

Only the one hundred and eight brothers of the Baiya Army remained.

But this meal, they ate and drank with even greater joy!

It was as if they had returned once more to the time they first gathered in righteousness; back then, they were penniless and destitute, relying on the blades in their hands to carve out this territory in Baiya Prefecture, a horse farm famous throughout the world. Back then, they did not even hold the Baiya government in their eyes, and back then, whoever wanted to buy a War Horse had to look to their favor.

Back then...

High-spirited and arrogant, indulgent and extravagant, yet there was less of the loyalty and mutual trust between brothers, and more of the backstabbing and mutual deception!

Since ancient times.

People can always share adversity, but it is very difficult to share prosperity.

Today.

It was as if everything had returned to how it was.

Liu Dahao and Liu Zheng, Qin Zhangfeng, Jiang Xuan, as well as Zheng Yueru and others, sat at a table, also infected by the brotherly affection of these people before them.

Following them, they ate meat in big mouthfuls and drank wine from large bowls.

Although the Baiya Army was about to be disbanded this time, to tell the truth, they could be considered to have disembarked safely; apart from Yang Ke, there were basically no casualties. For the Baiya Army, who had enjoyed themselves here for so many years, this was indeed a very good ending.

Therefore, they were also very grateful to Liu Zheng, who had acted as the variable and turned the tide.

One by one, they came to offer toasts.

"Good!"

"Bottoms up!"

Liu Zheng could not help but feel his face flush slightly.

Qin Zhangfeng sighed: "Young Master, there is no lack of talent among these people..."

Liu Zheng chuckled and shook his head.

He knew what Qin Zhangfeng meant; there was an intention to have him take in these martial arts figures. After all, Qin Zhangfeng was also a Knight-errant before, which was equivalent to a martial arts figure.

But Liu Zheng said: "If this were the Baiya Army of five years ago, I would want all of these people. But too much time has passed, the sharp sword has rusted, and I will not take the risk..."

Qin Zhangfeng and the others deeply agreed.

These heroes of the past had now had their bodies hollowed out by wine and meat, and coupled with the management system within the Baiya Army, it was extremely loose. Liu Zheng actually did not think much of these people. If he were to truly recruit all one hundred and eight heroes into his command, it would definitely bring him chaos in management, and the losses would outweigh the gains... Although there were no longer one hundred and eight of them; Jiang Rui and Guan Mang, who were responsible for stabbing the fake Wei Shao and his family of three to death tonight, had already been crushed to death by the giant hammer of Pei Qianyun, and with the fierce battle tonight, there were probably only ninety-something people left at this moment.

Wine-flushed and ear-hot.

This was destined to be an all-night session.

When almost everyone was drunk, that Wei Shao walked to Liu Zheng's table again. He looked at Liu Zheng deeply, and then knelt down with a thud.

Liu Zheng was startled: "Great Leader, you must not, this is..."

Wei Shao knelt dead still, smiling bitterly and shaking his head: "Now in Baiya, there is no longer a Great Leader. Young Master Liu, a straightforward person does not speak in riddles! The momentum of Yinzhou is fierce and famous throughout the world. Can you take my brothers away? Wei Shao dares to guarantee that every one of them is a hero who does not fear death!"

"This..."

Liu Zheng hesitated.

He had just discussed these things with Qin Zhangfeng.

To tell the truth, he did not think much of this group of bandits, just like in his previous life, he admired those so-called Water Margin heroes when he was a child, but as he grew older, he felt more and more that their failure was reasonable and inevitable. With such a military group, even if you gave them a country, who could govern it?

This was a heart-wrenching but very realistic problem.

The Yinzhou Army he needed was an iron-clad Yinzhou Army. He was certainly eager for talent, but he would not let any single talent affect his system!

This was something a person in a high position needed to understand and must learn how to choose.

What he needed was stability and combat effectiveness.

This state of mind could only be deeply understood after reaching this position.

Why in later generations did leaders always like those who were obedient, those who liked to flatter, those who knew how to handle things, but whose professional level might be mediocre?

And not like those with an extremely high professional level but with distinct personalities and distinct character traits?

There was no other reason.

What a leader has to lead is a team.

As long as it is a team, there must be hierarchy, atmosphere, superiors and subordinates, the strong and the weak.

This is a matter that requires coordination and requires handling.

Whether a leader is good or not, the charm lies here.

If your professional level is high, can you look down on people, or even treat the leader as nothing? If you really throw a project to him, he might not necessarily know how to negotiate with the client or communicate with the client...

There might not even be a possibility of developing cooperation.

What use are you if you are like this?

Conversely, your professional level might be such that one person can reach the standard of three people. But my three people can also top your one person. Liu Zheng is like this now.

For the Military Advisor who coordinates the overall situation, he has Qingyang Shuo.

The commander-talent Jiang Xuan is growing, and the general-talent Qin Zhangfeng is already famous throughout the world.

The mid-level officials trained under them, even if one cannot top your one, what about my three? If three won't do, then what about my five? Five topping your one, that should be fine, right?

The loyalty I need is stability!

It is steady development!

And not a bunch of ticking time bombs!

Sure enough.

Wei Shao seemed to have known long ago that Liu Zheng would refuse, and smiled bitterly: "Young Master Liu, Wei Shao also knows that this is somewhat forcing someone, it's just, it's just..."

Liu Zheng sighed: "Great Leader, if it is gold, it can shine anywhere, why be obsessed with Yinzhou? Now the momentum of Yinzhou is too strong, how is it not the Baiya Army of the past? If the Great Leader truly thinks for the brothers, he should let them return home!"

Wei Shao was suddenly speechless, his heart filled with sorrow.

And Liu Zheng smiled: "Of course, if Brother Du is willing to follow me, he can bring some brothers!"

Wei Shao was overjoyed: "Thank you, Viscount Liu!"

Then, thinking it over, he jumped up, walked over, and kicked the dead-drunk Pei Qianyun hard, managing with great difficulty to drag the big man over.

Liu Zheng's eyes flickered.

Wei Shao laughed: "Viscount Liu, Qianyun has followed me for many years; truth be told, he is my true son, loyal beyond compare. If I return to Qingzhou to take up my post, it would be inconvenient to bring him along, and with Qianyun's rough martial arts background, it would not be appropriate to recommend him to the Prince of Wei. If you do not mind, Viscount Liu, why not take him by your side?"

Liu Zheng's eyelids twitched, and he nearly burst out laughing.

He had been quite eager to have Pei Qianyun. Now that Qin Zhangfeng was capable of handling matters on his own, having him serve as a bodyguard every day was a waste of talent. Yet this Pei Qianyun was extremely valiant, possessing even more of a deterrent presence than Qin Zhangfeng; if he could truly be put to use, he would be a figure like Dian Wei!

"Big Brother! What are you saying?"

Pei Qianyun's eyes widened in anger: "Big Brother, I'm not going! I want to stay by your side!"

"Qianyun has been with you for ten years; no matter what you say, I'm not going!"

Pei Qianyun was on the verge of tears.

When the crowd saw this, they nearly burst into laughter.

This fellow had actually plopped down on the ground, acting like a spoiled child; compared to his valor tonight, who would have thought that such a reckless brute could have such an adorable side?