Chương 124: Nothing to Do, Feeling Light

Youzhou, Zhuo County, Zhuo Commandery.

The morning sunlight streamed in through the window, and Liu Ce stretched and got out of bed.

In the courtyard, Zhang Ning and Ren Hongchang were already practicing swordsmanship—this was Zhang Ning's habit, and Ren Hongchang followed suit.

The two girls, dressed in tight-fitting clothes and with their swords flashing, looked quite heroic.

"My husband is awake?" Zhang Ning sheathed his sword and wiped his sweat.

"Um."

Liu Ce nodded and said, "You guys continue practicing, I'm going to take a look around the governor's mansion."

Ren Hongchang handed over a damp towel: "Wipe your face."

Liu Ce took it, wiped it haphazardly a couple of times, and walked out.

Butler Liu was already waiting at the door, carrying breakfast.

"Young master, please eat before you leave," said Uncle Liu.

Liu Ce grabbed a flatbread, munching on it as he walked out: "I'm not eating anymore, I'll eat on the way. By the way, Uncle Liu, could you prepare something for me today..."

He lowered his voice and gave instructions.

As Liu Bo listened, his eyes widened even more: "Young Master, what do you need all this for?"

Liu Ce smiled mysteriously, "Don't worry about it, just get ready. By the way, prepare a lot, I need some soon."

"Yes, this old servant will take care of it right away." Although Liu Bo was puzzled, he still nodded in agreement.

Governor's Residence, Council Chamber.

Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and Xun Yu were already waiting.

Upon seeing Liu Ce enter, the three of them stood up and bowed.

"My lord, my marquis."

"sit."

Liu Ce waved his hand and plopped down in the main seat.

"How was it? Did you sleep well last night?"

Fang Xuanling laughed and said, "Thanks to my lord, I slept well. It's just that the bed in Youzhou is a bit hard."

"Just make do."

Liu Ce laughed and said, "Once we've governed Youzhou well, I'll get each of you a better bed."

Guo Jia strolled in from outside, yawning: "My lord, so early... I wanted to sleep a little longer."

"You're just lazy."

Xun Yu frowned and said, "Everyone else is here, you're the last one."

"Wenruo, life is too short, why rush?" Guo Jia found a corner to sit down and started to doze off again.

Looking at the people in front of him, Liu Ce felt a little more at ease.

These are all top talents of our time. With them around, they should be able to clean up this mess in Youzhou.

He sat in the main seat, looking at the mountain of bamboo slips and silk books in front of him, feeling a headache worse than if he had been punched by Zhang Fei.

"Damn it, so many official documents..." He rubbed his temples and decided to implement his core life philosophy—slacking off.

He cleared his throat and said to Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and Xun Yu, who were sitting at the lower end of the table:

"The three of you, from today onwards, the administration of Youzhou will be entrusted to you."

The three of them looked up at the same time, each with a different expression.

Fang Xuanling remained calm, stroking his beard as he said, "What does my lord mean...?"

Liu Ce spoke with conviction, "What I mean is, you all discuss and decide. Of course, I'm still the core decision-maker, but you handle the specific details."

You decide on the small things, and ask me about the big things—of course, you decide what counts as a big thing.

That's as good as saying nothing at all.

Du Ruhui's lips twitched: "My lord, this..."

Liu Ce started spouting nonsense: "This is called 'tiered authorization.' We need to establish an efficient administrative system."

The three of you form the highest decision-making body, ensuring that all military and political decisions are implemented in a synchronized manner. As for me, I'm responsible for maintaining the overall direction.

Xun Yu couldn't help but chuckle: "My lord, what exactly do you mean by 'grasping the general direction'...?"

Liu Ce spoke nonsense with a straight face: "Just eat when you're supposed to eat, drink when you're supposed to drink, and spend time with your wife when you're supposed to spend time with your wife."

"Think about it, if I'm buried in these official documents every day, when will I have time to think about strategic issues? How should Youzhou develop in the future? What if the Xianbei attack? Don't these important matters require time to consider?"

The three looked at each other in bewilderment.

This sounds reasonable, but something just doesn't feel right.

However, they did not object—Liu Ce entrusted them with great power, which was a sign of trust.

Moreover, to be honest, the three of them are more than capable of handling these political affairs.

"Then... what exactly does the lord want to do?" Fang Xuanling asked.

"Me?"

Liu Ce stood up, stretched, and said, "I'm going to do some inventions. Youzhou is dirt poor right now. If we don't find a way to generate revenue, we'll all starve."

Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui exchanged a glance, both seeing pressure and trust in each other's eyes.

"Rest assured, my lord."

Fang Xuanling stood up and said, "We will do our utmost."

"It's not just about doing our best, it's about getting it done perfectly."

Liu Ce continued, "You all know the current situation in Youzhou. More than a million refugees need to be resettled, wasteland needs to be reclaimed, the army needs to be rebuilt, and the cities need to be fortified... You can discuss these matters yourselves. I'll just handle the general direction."

After saying that, he patted his behind and left, leaving the three of them staring at each other in the hall.

Guo Jia had just opened his eyes when he saw Liu Ce's retreating figure and asked curiously, "Where is my lord going?"

"They said they were going to do inventions and creations," Xun Yu said with a wry smile.

Guo Jia's eyes lit up: "Inventions? Interesting! Much more interesting than reading these official documents!"

He moved closer to Xun Yu: "Brother Wenruo, how about we also..."

Don't even think about it.

Xun Yu pushed a stack of bamboo slips in front of him.

"Your work is here: the grain and fodder budget. It must be calculated today."

Guo Jia's face fell: "Ah..."

After leaving the governor's mansion, Liu Ce went to the military camp.

Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and other captains were all at the training ground. Upon seeing Liu Ce arrive, they all bowed in salute.

"Big brother!"

Zhang Fei shouted loudly, "What brings you here? Are you leading us into battle?"

"What kind of war?"

Liu Ce waved his hand and said, "The Xianbei haven't attacked yet. I'm here to give you some instructions—starting today, each of you will recruit three thousand soldiers and train them yourselves. Set your own recruitment standards and figure out your own training methods. I will inspect them in three months. Whoever trains the worst soldiers will have to treat the entire camp to drinks."

Everyone's eyes lit up.

Recruiting and training soldiers independently—that's a real delegation of authority!

Lü Bu was the most excited: "Rest assured, my lord! This humble general will definitely train an elite army!"

Yuwen Chengdu was a man of few words, but his eyes were resolute: "This humble general obeys the order."

Huang Zhong, being more composed, said, "My lord, what about the money and provisions for recruiting soldiers..."

"Ask Xun Yu for it."

Liu Ce waved his hand dismissively, "Just say it was me who said it."

After giving his instructions, Liu Ce patted his behind and left, leaving the generals excitedly discussing how to recruit and train soldiers.

Zhang Fei was already fantasizing: "I'll recruit three thousand men with loud voices! When we fight, they'll shout together and scare the enemy to death!"

Guan Yu was speechless: "Third brother, fighting isn't about who shouts the loudest..."

"What do you know! It's all about momentum! Don't you understand what momentum is?!"

Liu Ce listened to the argument behind him and a smile crept onto his face.

To slack off, the first step is to delegate the work.

Step 2: Go back and do something fun.

When Liu Ce returned to the Liu residence, Uncle Liu had already prepared what he wanted—several large bags of coarse salt, several bushels of millet, a pile of mulberry bark, tattered hemp cloth, and various jars and pots.