Chương 123: Appointment, Arrangement

He first announced the structure of the General of the Flying Cavalry's office—his military command organization.

"Xun Yu, Chief Clerk of the General of Chariots and Cavalry."

Xun Yu rose and cupped his hands in greeting: "I obey."

"Sima, Ju Shou."

Ju Shou rose and bowed, saying, "I accept your command."

"Fang Xuanling concurrently served as the Eastern Clerk."

Fang Xuanling cupped his hands in greeting: "Xuanling obeys."

"Du Ruhui concurrently served as the Western Clerk."

Du Ruhui cupped his hands in greeting: "Ruhui obeys the order."

"The position of Registrar is concurrently held by Xi Zhicai."

Xi Zhicai stood up with a smile: "Zhicai obeys."

"General's Chief Advisor, Guo Jia."

Guo Jia stood up lazily and joked, "Jia obeys—My lord, is the position of libationer just about drinking?"

A burst of laughter filled the hall.

Liu Ce laughed, "You wish! The Chief Advisor is in charge of military affairs, and as for wine... there will be plenty, but you have to get the job done first."

"Alright!" Guo Jia was satisfied.

"Jia Xu, join the army."

Jia Xu stood up: "I obey."

"Xi Zhicai and Ju Shou concurrently served as Attendant Gentlemen-in-Waiting."

The two accepted the order once again.

Next up are the military generals:

"Captains: Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Qin Qiong, Cheng Yaojin, Lü Bu, Yuwen Chengdu, Zhang Liao, Gao Shun, Yuchi Gong, Huang Zhong, Yu Jin, Zhang He."

The generals whose names were called stood up in unison: "Your subordinates obey!"

A captain is a high-ranking military officer who can lead troops independently.

"Military Commanders: Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Luo Cheng, Zhou Cang, Pei Yuanshao."

The five men stood up: "Your subordinates obey!"

The military commander was a mid-level military officer who usually commanded a unit of troops.

"Commander of the Imperial Guard, Dian Wei."

Dian Wei stood up and shouted, "I obey! I guarantee to protect my elder brother!"

Liu Ce nodded with a smile.

With the structure of the General of the Cavalry's office set, the next step is the Governor's Office of Youzhou—this is the administrative body.

"Fang Xuanling, the Deputy Prefectural Governor." — This was the governor's deputy, a position of great prestige.

"Du Ruhui, the clerk in charge of the administration, was in charge of the state government's documents."

"Registrar Chen Gong"—responsible for confidential documents.

"The position of Registrar of the Bureau of Revenue was concurrently held by Xun Yu." — He was in charge of finances and provisions.

"The Military Affairs Officer, concurrently held by Zhang He and Yu Jin," refers to a position in charge of military affairs.

"Tian Feng, the Inspector of the various prefectures and kingdoms."

"The official in charge of personnel affairs, Ju Shou, also held this position."

"Chen Gong concurrently served as the Director of Education."

"Xi Zhicai concurrently served as a councilor in charge of political affairs."

With the appointments completed, everyone in the hall began to perform their respective duties.

Looking at this impressive lineup, Liu Ce felt reassured.

In literature, there were strategists like Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui; in military affairs, there were generals like Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Lü Bu, Qin Qiong, and Yuchi Ke...

With such a team, they could not only govern Youzhou, but also contend for supremacy over the world.

While Liu Ce was busy in Zhuojun, a good show was unfolding in the Zhen family mansion in Wuji County, Zhongshan State, Ji Province.

Two letters were delivered by a servant, who said they were sent by the Marquis of Champion.

When Zhen Yi saw the words "To be opened by the head of the Zhen family" on the envelope, his hands trembled. The Marquis of Champion was a big shot now, a General of the Cavalry and the Governor of Youzhou. It was not easy for him to remember a merchant like him!

Zhen Yi, holding two letters, hurriedly called his two sons, Zhen Yan and Zhen Yao.

"Father, what's the matter that's so urgent?" Zhen Yan asked.

"The Marquis of Champion has sent a letter!"

Zhen Yi placed the letters on the table and said, "Two letters, one for us and one for Jiang'er and the others."

Zhen Yao, being impatient, quickly asked, "Father, what did the Marquis of Champion say?"

Zhen Yi opened the letter to the Zhen family, glanced at it, and smiled:

"The Marquis of Champion ordered us to send someone to Zhuojun in Youzhou to find him, saying he has something to tell him."

Zhen Yan and Zhen Yao exchanged a glance.

This was somewhat sudden, but also reasonable—Liu Ce is now the governor of Youzhou, and the Zhen family has a marriage agreement with him, so naturally they need to strengthen their ties.

Just as Zhen Yan was about to say "I'll go," Zhen Yao spoke up first: "Father, I'll go!"

The voice was firm and resolute.

Zhen Yi looked at his youngest son.

Zhen Yao was in his early twenties, clever and quick-witted, but still young and inexperienced. Youzhou was in a terrible state of chaos right now…

"Yao'er, have you thought this through? Youzhou is not peaceful," Zhen Yi said.

"I've made up my mind!"

Zhen Yao straightened his back and said, "The Marquis of Champion is our Zhen family's son-in-law. If he wants us to go, it must be something important. My second brother has to stay home to help Father manage the business, so it's most suitable for me to go. Besides, I also want to see what Youzhou is really like."

Zhen Yi pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright. Go ahead, and be careful on the road. Take plenty of men with you, and prepare gifts as well. The Marquis of Champion is now the governor of the state, so we must observe proper etiquette."

"Yes!" Zhen Yao was delighted.

Zhen Yi gave a few more instructions, and then asked the steward to send another letter to the backyard for the five Zhen sisters.

In the backyard of the Zhen residence, Zhen Jiang had just received the letter and was about to secretly read it first—as the eldest sister, she had this privilege.

But just as his hand touched the envelope, his four younger sisters burst in.

Zhen Tuo, with his sharp eyes, exclaimed, "Big sister! You're trying to peek!"

Zhen Dao pouted, "Exactly! How could you read the letter the general wrote to us all by yourself!"

Although Zhen Rong and Zhen Mi did not speak, their eyes conveyed "unfairness".

Zhen Jiang awkwardly withdrew her hand, blushing, and said, "I... I didn't mean to peek. I was just about to call you..."

"You're lying!"

Zhen Tu snorted, "If the butler hadn't sent someone to tell us, we wouldn't have known!"

Zhen Jiang surrendered, saying, "Okay, okay, it was my fault. Come on, let's watch together."

Zhen Tuo, Zhen Dao, Zhen Rong, and Zhen Mi, the four maids, surrounded Zhen Jiang, their eyes all fixed on the letter.

She opened the letter, and five heads huddled together.

The letter was short, but the handwriting was neat.

To Jiang'er, Tuo'er, Dao'er, Rong'er, and Mi'er: Jiang'er, Tuo'er, Dao'er, Rong'er, Mi'er, seeing this letter is like seeing you in person!

I've finally finished the war without a scratch, so you don't have to worry about me anymore. The court has appointed me Marquis of Champion, General of the Cavalry, and Governor of Youzhou, as you all know now. I'm currently governing Youzhou.

……

Everything is pretty much settled here now. I'll send someone to pick you up in a little while.

The character "策" September of the first year of Zhongping.

The letter was short, but full of affection.

The five girls blushed deeply after reading it.

Zhen Daoxian spoke first: "General, really... you haven't even married us yet, and you're already calling yourself 'husband'..."

Zhen Rong chimed in, "Exactly... shameless..."

But despite saying that, all five of them couldn't help but smile.

Zhen Dao held the letter, his eyes sparkling: "The general said he misses us..."

Zhen Rong whispered, "He said he wasn't injured, that's great."

Zhen Jiang clutched the letter to her chest, feeling a sweet warmth in her heart.

She remembered the day Liu Ce left, at the gate of the Zhen residence, he patted each of them on the head and said, "Wait for me to come back."

This wait lasted for several months.

Now he has finally settled down and said he will come to pick them up soon.

The five girls fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts.

A breeze carries a faint floral fragrance.

And they, too, are waiting for the day they can reunite.

The letter is short, but the sentiment is long.