Chapter 288

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

"Good, let them in."

Two young men walked in and bowed deeply.

"Fa Zheng/Meng Da, greetings to the Left General."

Liu Bei offered them both words of encouragement, which left the two of them exceptionally moved.

Fa Zheng remained by Liu Bei's side.

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

Meng Da possessed some talent, but he was prone to opportunism, so Liu Bei did not intend to let him command troops; serving as a civil official was acceptable.

Jizhou, Yecheng.

Yuan Shao had recently defeated Gongsun Zan, gaining the initiative to seize Qingzhou, and his prestige grew even further.

"Liu Bei has actually been enfeoffed as Left General and Marquis of Zhuo County?!"

"A mere mat-weaver and sandal-seller! How could he…"

Yuan Shao was struck by the ancestral Yuan family's green-eyed envy because of Liu Bei!

"Li Jue and Guo Si are wreaking havoc in the imperial court, yet they hand out such titles!"

Yuan Shao had also received a title, being named Right General.

The two were essentially equal, but since the time of Emperor Wu of Han, a tradition of honoring the left had emerged in the late Eastern Han.

Strictly speaking, Liu Bei's position as Left General was even higher than Yuan Shao's Right General—how could Yuan Shao not be furious!

Tian Feng remonstrated,

"My lord, as long as we occupy the three provinces of Hebei, we will be far wealthier than Liu Bei's Bingzhou. When the time comes to swallow him up, Liu Bei will surely be unable to stop us."

Yuan Shao nodded; he would let that big-eared thief revel in his pride for a few more years!

Xu You bowed,

"My lord, Lu Bu has come to seek refuge. This subordinate believes he can be utilized."

Yuan Shao frowned slightly. Lu Bu had not sought refuge with the big-eared thief but had come to him instead, which did indeed save him some face.

However, who was Lu Bu? He had already killed two foster fathers and possessed a rebellious nature.

"I am not the big-eared thief; I cannot suppress Lu Bu. What if he turns that halberd on me one day?"

Thus, Yuan Shao essentially just kept Lu Bu as a figurehead and gave him nothing of substance to do.

Xu You continued,

"My lord, the Heishan bandits are becoming increasingly rampant. Henei, Wei Commandery, and Changshan Commandery have all been plundered. Lu Bu is brave and fierce; this subordinate believes he can be used to crush them."

Yuan Shao found this feasible.

"Good, Xu You's suggestion is excellent!"

"Drive the Heishan bandits toward Liu Bei's territory!"

"Li Jue and Guo Si actually dare to deceive me like this!"

Yuan Shu cursed loudly.

"The big-eared thief is a mere mat-weaver and sandal-seller, yet he has attained the position of Left General, while I am only Rear General!"

Yuan Shu had also been enfeoffed as a County Marquis this time, which would have been fine, but compared to Liu Bei's meteoric rise, he felt Versailles-ed by Liu Bei again!

Yan Xiang advised,

"My lord, Liu Bei is close to Chang'an, so naturally, he receives the most benefits. Now that the Son of Heaven is in exile, my lord only needs to strive for greatness in Huainan. In the future, when you lead an army to crush Li Jue and the others, the position of Grand General will be within your reach!"

Yuan Shu waved his hand. The Son of Heaven was currently being pushed around by anyone who pleased, and a much grander idea was budding in his heart, though it was not the time to speak of it yet.

Puyang City.

Cao Cao, however, laughed heartily.

"Li Jue is quite interesting; he has enfeoffed me as General Who Pacifies the East."

Xia Hou Dun grunted,

"Li Jue is bullying us too much. Liu Bei is a mat-weaver and sandal-seller, yet he has become Left General, while my elder brother is only General Who Pacifies the East!"

Cao Cao waved his hand.

"No matter. These titles are but fleeting clouds. Our current goal is to expand our territory."

His gaze turned toward the wealthy Xuzhou, though he currently lacked a pretext.

Jinyang City.

Liu Bei returned home to be reunited with his wives and children.

He rested his head on Bu Lianshi's lap, while Yi Shi fed him fruit and Lady Feng massaged his legs,

listening to Mi Zhen and Zhen Jiang report on their recent gains.

"Husband, this time I used local specialties like Hedong well-salt to trade for a great deal of Shu silk and other goods; we have made a huge profit."

"Husband, my Zhen clan has opened two iron mines in Bingzhou that have already begun production; we can provide a massive amount of iron ore in the future."

"Husband, I have also opened a small copper mine," Mi Zhen added gratefully.

Liu Bei smiled.

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

Mi Zhen and Zhen Jiang blushed, their mouths curling into smiles.

Bu Lianshi leaned into Liu Bei's ear to whisper.

"You've learned new techniques from Zou Shi recently? That certainly warrants a trial!"

Liu Bei nodded. Bu Lianshi was indeed no mere vase, but a diligent, studious, and enterprising young woman!

A happy life begins with a beautiful day; this was the best portrayal of Liu Bei's current situation.

A few days later,

Bai Yuekui found Liu Bei.

"Captain, a man named Ma Jun from Fufeng Commandery has recently sought refuge with us. He is highly skilled in ingenious crafts and is a master inventor."

"Ma Jun?"

Liu Bei recalled that this was the most famous inventor of the Three Kingdoms era.

The silk-weaving machine, the waterwheel, the south-pointing chariot, the trebuchet, the repeating crossbow—all bore the mark of his inventions and improvements.

"Oh, if even you are recommending him, it means this man is truly exceptional."

Liu Bei stood up.

"Let's go, let's head to the Bureau of Craftsmen and take a look."

At the Bureau of Craftsmen,

"This subordinate… pays… pays respects to the… Left General."

A young man said, bowing.

Liu Bei thought to himself: a stutter, that's him alright.

"Ma Jun, you have improved the silk-weaving machine, increasing 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, Left General!"

Those around them were all shocked; they had not expected Ma Jun to receive such a reward so soon after arriving, especially since the status of craftsmen was very low in those days.

Liu Bei looked around at everyone.

"In the future, as long as you work diligently and make contributions, I will never be stingy with rewards."

In an instant, the enthusiasm of the entire Bureau of Craftsmen was ignited, and their work efficiency increased by several fold!

As Liu Bei and Bai Yuekui returned,

Bai Yuekui smiled. "Captain, I helped you find this talent; how are you going to reward me?"

People from the modern era placed even greater importance on inventors and talented individuals.

Liu Bei laughed.

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

Bai Yuekui's face turned red.