Chapter 158

Liu Bei’s eyes lit up, and he stood up.

"Good, let them in."

Two young men walked in and bowed.

"Fa Zheng/Meng Da, greet Lord Liu Xuande."

Liu Bei encouraged them, making them exceptionally excited.

Fa Zheng stayed by Liu Bei’s side,

while Meng Da was sent by Liu Bei to work under Du Ji.

This Meng Da had some talent, but he was a bit opportunistic. Liu Bei didn't intend to let him lead troops; being a civil official was fine.

Jizhou, Outside Yecheng,

Ding Yuan Shao had defeated Brother Gongsun Zan last time and gained the initiative to seize Qingzhou, and his prestige was even greater.

"Liu Bei actually enfeoffed as General of the Left and a County Marquis?!"

"A weaver of mats and seller of shoes! Actually..."

Ding Yuan Shao was stimulated by Liu Bei into having hereditary red-eye disease!

"Li Jue and Guo Si are causing chaos in the imperial court and actually giving out random rewards!"

Ding Yuan Shao also received a reward, obtaining the position of General of the Right.

The two were actually about the same, but since the time of Emperor Wu of Han to the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, a tradition of respecting the left had appeared.

Strictly speaking, Liu Bei’s General of the Left was still higher than Ding Yuan Shao’s General of the Right. How could Ding Yuan Shao not be angry!

Tian Feng advised,

"Lord, as long as our army occupies the three commanderies of Hebei, it will be much more prosperous than Liu Bei’s Bingzhou. When the time comes, with the momentum of a whale swallowing, Liu Bei will inevitably be unable to block us."

Ding Yuan Shao nodded. Then let that big-eared thief be proud for a few more years!

Xu You cupped his hands.

"Lord, Lu Bu has come to rely on us. Your subordinate believes he can be used."

Ding Yuan Shao frowned slightly. Lu Bu hadn't relied on the big-eared thief but had relied on him, which did indeed give him some face.

However, who was Lu Bu? He had already killed two foster fathers and had a rebellious bone in the back of his head.

"I am not Liu Bei, who can suppress Lu Bu. What if he gives me a halberd one day!"

Therefore, Ding Yuan Shao basically just provided for Lu Bu and didn't let him do anything else.

Xu You added,

"Lord, the Black Mountain bandits are becoming increasingly rampant. Henei, Weijun, and Changshan Commandery have all been looted by them. Lu Bu is brave, and your subordinate believes he can be used to defeat them."

Ding Yuan Shao felt it was feasible.

"Good, Xu You’s proposal is good!"

"Drive the Black Mountain bandits toward Liu Bei’s place!"

"Li Jue and Guo Si actually bully me like this!"

Ding Yuan Shu cursed loudly.

"The big-eared thief is a weaver of mats and seller of shoes, yet he obtained the position of General of the Left. I am still the General of the Rear!"

Ding Yuan Shu had been enfeoffed as a County Marquis this time, which was originally fine, but compared to Liu Bei’s rocket-like rise, he was again Versailles-ed by Liu Bei!

Yan Xiang advised,

"Lord, Liu Bei is very close to Changancheng, so he naturally gets the most benefits. Now that the Son of Heaven is covered in dust, the Lord only needs to strive for strength in Huainan. In the future, lead your army to defeat Li Jue and the others, and the position of Grand General will be within reach!"

Ding Yuan Shu waved his hand. Now that the Son of Heaven was being kneaded by others at will, a bigger idea had sprouted in this guy’s heart, but it wasn't the time to say it yet.

Puyang City,

Cao Cao laughed heartily.

"Li Jue is interesting, enfeoffing me as General Who Pacifies the East."

Xiahou Dun said in a muffled voice,

"Li Jue bullies people too much. Liu Bei is a weaver of mats and seller of shoes, yet he became the General of the Left, while Big Brother only got General Who Pacifies the East!"

Cao Cao waved his hand.

"No matter. These positions are all passing clouds. Our goal now is to expand our territory."

His gaze looked toward the prosperous Taking Xuzhou, but he had no excuse at the moment.

Jinyang City,

Liu Bei returned home to be with his wife and children.

He rested his head on Diao Chan’s lap, Lady Yi was feeding him fruit, and Lady Feng was pounding his legs,

listening to Mi Zhen and Zhen Zhen Jiang report on recent earnings.

"Husband, this time I used local specialties like Hedong well salt to exchange for a lot of Shu brocade and other items from the Shu region, making a big profit."

"Husband, my Zhen family has opened two iron mines in Bingzhou that have already started production, and we can provide a large amount of iron ore in the future."

"Husband, I also mined a small copper mine," Mi Zhen said gratefully.

Liu Bei smiled.

"Good, you have all done very well. Tonight, I will reward you well."

Mi Zhen and Zhen Zhen Jiang blushed, smiling.

Diao Chan leaned into Liu Bei’s ear and whispered,

"Have you learned new techniques from Lady Zou recently? Then we must test them!"

Liu Bei nodded. Diao Chan is indeed not a vase, but a diligent, studious, and enterprising good girl!

A happy life starts from a beautiful day; this is the best portrayal of Liu Bei’s current situation.

A few days later,

Bai Yuekui found Liu Bei.

"Captain, the person who recently defected, Ma Jun from Fufeng Commandery, is skilled in clever thoughts and is a craftsman who is very good at invention and creation."

"Ma Jun?"

Liu Bei remembered. Isn't this the most famous inventor of the Three Kingdoms?

The invention and improvement of the silk-weaving machine, waterwheel, south-pointing chariot, catapult, repeating crossbow, etc., all had his shadow.

"Oh, since you recommend him, it means this person is truly good."

Liu Bei stood up.

"Let’s go, let’s go to the Craftsman Bureau to take a look."

Craftsman Bureau,

"Your subordinate, subordinate, greets Lord, Lord Liu Xuande."

A young man said while cupping his hands.

Liu Bei thought to himself: stuttering, that’s him for sure.

"Ma Jun, you improved the silk-weaving machine, increasing work efficiency by four or five times, making a great contribution. I reward you with fifty mu of fertile land, five hundred thousand coins, twenty head of cattle and sheep! And two Hu women."

Ma Jun was overjoyed.

"Thank, thank you, Lord Liu Xuande!"

Everyone around was shocked. They didn't expect that Ma Jun, who hadn't been here long, would receive such a reward. You have to know that the status of craftsmen was very low at that time.

Liu Bei looked around.

"Everyone, work hard in the future. As long as you make a contribution, I will not be stingy with rewards."

Instantly, the enthusiasm of the entire Craftsman Bureau was mobilized, and work efficiency increased by several tens of percent!

Liu Bei and Bai Yuekui went back.

Bai Yuekui smiled, "Captain, I found this talent for you. How will you thank me?"

People from the modern era pay more attention to people who invent and create.

Liu Bei smiled.

"Just say what reward you want! Mi Zhen recently transported a batch of silk back; I’ll have some brought to you too."

Bai Yuekui’s face turned red.