Chương 139: Coal and Iron, Military Settlements, Appointments

Tian Feng slammed his hand on the table and exclaimed, "Excellent! Excellent! With these two million shi of grain, our Youzhou might be able to last until next spring's planting! Once potatoes and sweet potatoes are widely distributed, we'll never lack grain again!"

Ju Shou blushed with excitement: "My lord, Lord Zhen is truly... truly a timely help!"

Xun Yu remained relatively calm, but his eyes gleamed: "My lord, this matter needs to be handled properly. The grain and fodder must be registered upon entering the warehouse, and their distribution must be rationally planned to prevent waste."

Liu Ce nodded and said, "Wenruo is right. I'll leave this matter to you, Xuanling, and Ruhui to coordinate. Remember, provisions are life-saving; they must be used wisely."

"Rest assured, my lord and my marquis!" the three said in unison.

Guo Jia leaned closer, winking and saying, "My lord, your in-laws... they're really generous! Giving you two million shi of grain so readily, they treat you like their own son!"

Xi Zhicai laughed, "No wonder the lord's harem is so harmonious—with such a generous father-in-law, I would be harmonious too."

Fang Xuanling breathed a long sigh of relief and exclaimed, "Lord Zhen's noble character! The people of Youzhou will forever remember this kindness and virtue!"

Du Ruhui nodded in agreement: "Indeed. My lord, we must thank the Zhen family properly."

Liu Ce waved his hand: "We're all family, no need for formalities. The Zhen family is now part of Youzhou too, helping us is helping themselves."

He paused, then said, "But now that we have the supplies, we must do our job well. We can't let the Zhen family think that the supplies were given to us for nothing."

"Our lord and the Marquis are wise!" the crowd exclaimed in unison.

My heart is bleeding: Damn it, there are still too few.

After joking around enough, Liu Ce started to get down to business.

He walked to the map hanging on the wall and pointed to the location of Yuyang County: "Send a team to Yuyang County and bring back some iron ore and graphite. I have a great use for them."

"iron ore?"

Xun Yu asked, "Does Your Excellency wish to forge weapons?"

"Not just weapons."

Liu Ce laughed and said, "We also need to make farm tools and implements. Youzhou is in dire need of rebuilding and requires a lot of ironware. It's cheaper to mine iron ore ourselves than to buy it from outside."

He paused, then added, "Graphite... is black stone. It can be burned, and the fire is stronger than firewood. After mining it, it can be used for heating in winter and for forging ironware."

In truth, Liu Ce was thinking: with iron and coal, we could achieve initial industrialization. Although it wouldn't be possible to achieve it all at once, it would at least improve production efficiency.

But we can't say that now—they wouldn't understand anyway.

Fang Xuanling nodded: "Understood. I'll arrange for someone to take care of it right away."

"besides," Liu Ce looked at everyone and said, "Issue the governors of each prefecture to recruit and replenish the troops lost in their respective prefectures. The standard is uniform: 4, 000 regular troops per prefecture, with appropriate increases allowed for border prefectures. The soldiers should be recruited from local able-bodied men and refugees, and they should be treated well."

Du Ruhui asked, "My lord, what about the army's supplies and provisions...?"

"It will come from the grain and fodder provided by the Zhen family."

Liu Ce made the decision, "Tell the prefects of each prefecture that soldiers must be recruited, but they must be of high quality, and not just filled with mediocre men."

He thought for a moment and added, "Furthermore, starting today, Youzhou will implement 'military farming.' The army will farm in peacetime and fight in wartime. This will solve the problem of food supplies and maintain combat effectiveness."

Tian Feng praised, "Your Excellency's plan is brilliant! Our Youzhou is vast and sparsely populated, making it perfect for military settlements."

Ju Shou also suggested, "We can divide the land into military settlements and assign special personnel to manage them. The harvest can be distributed proportionally, with a portion used as military rations and the remainder given to the soldiers as subsidies."

Liu Ce nodded: "Let's proceed according to this plan. You can draft the specific details."

Having finished discussing the important matters, Liu Ce prepared to make his escape.

Reaching the door, he suddenly turned back: "By the way, Fengxiao and Zhicai, you two should drink less. Especially Fengxiao, you were clinging to that wine jar last night, did I not see it?"

Guo Jia chuckled: "My lord, I only had a little..."

"a little?"

Liu Ce glared and said, "A little bit can make your eyes red? From today onwards, it's a daily limit, and any excess will result in a deduction from your salary!"

"No, my lord!"

Guo Jia wailed, "This is all I have for fun..."

"You can't risk your life just because you have a hobby!" Liu Ce said, and left.

Guo Jia was left there beating his chest and stamping his feet in frustration.

Xi Zhicai patted his shoulder and said with a smile, "Fengxiao, the Marquis is doing this for your own good."

"I know……"

Guo Jia sighed, "But the wine is really delicious..."

A few days later, a formal meeting was held in the governor's council chamber.

Apart from Zhang Liao assisting in border defense and Qin Qiong and Yuchi Gong conducting inspections, all other core members were present.

The father and sons Zhen Yi, Zhen Yan, and Zhen Yao also attended—this was their first time attending as "officials."

When Liu Ce entered the council hall, everyone stood up and bowed.

"Greetings, my lord! Greetings, my marquis!"

The voices were clear and loud.

Looking at this scene, Zhen Yi sighed inwardly: "My lord's prestige is truly beyond question. These civil and military officials all look at their lord with reverence."

Liu Ce walked to the main seat and sat down, waving his hand and saying, "No need for formalities, please sit down."

The hall was very quiet.

Civil and military officials lined up on the left and right, with the Zhen family father and son sitting at the end of the civil officials' side—after all, they were newcomers and had to keep a low profile.

Everyone took their seats.

Liu Ce looked around and said, "Today's meeting is mainly about personnel appointments."

He then cleared his throat and began announcing personnel appointments.

He looked at Xun Yu: "Xun Yu will no longer serve concurrently as the Registrar."

"Effective immediately, Zhen Yi is hereby appointed as the Registrar of the Governor's Office of Youzhou, in charge of money, grain, and taxes," Liu Ce solemnly announced.

Zhen Yi quickly stood up and bowed, saying, "I obey."

Liu Ce then looked at Zhen Yan: "Zhen Yan, you will serve as the Registrar of Household Affairs."

Zhen Yan stood up: "I obey."

"Zhen Yao served as an advisor to Cao Cao, in charge of agriculture and sericulture, and encouraging agricultural activities."

Zhen Yao stood up: "Yao obeys the order."

Three appointments, three positions with real power.

The Zhen family father and son were so excited that their hands were trembling—the leap from businessman to official was too big and too sudden!

Liu Ce then looked at the former Zhuojun official: "Zhao Peng, listen to my command."

Zhao Peng stood up: "Your humble servant is here."

"You are hereby appointed as the Prefect of Zhuojun, in charge of all government affairs in Zhuojun."

"Zhou Yi, obey my command."

"Your humble servant is here."

"You are hereby appointed as the Assistant Prefect of Zhuojun, to assist the Prefect."

The two were thrilled and accepted the order.

Although he was still in Guanzhuo County, his position was promoted and his power increased.

After the appointments were completed, Liu Ce concluded, "Gentlemen, Youzhou is in dire need of capable people. I hope that you will each perform your duties and work together with one heart and one mind."

"Yes!" everyone responded in unison.

After the appointments were announced, Liu Ce said a few words and then adjourned the meeting.

But Zhen Yi and his two sons remained.

After everyone else had left, Liu Ce spoke up: "Father-in-law, now that the three of you have official positions, who should manage the Zhen family's business?"

This was a question he had thought about long ago.

The Zhen family is a family of merchants; commerce is their foundation.

But now that Zhen Yi and his son have both become officials, according to the rules of the Han Dynasty, officials cannot engage in business—at least not openly.

The Zhen family's business network spans the entire country, forming a vast resource network. It would be a great pity to let it be wasted because the Zhen father and son hold official positions.

Zhen Yi was clearly prepared, and cupped his hands, saying, "My lord, Yan'er, Yao'er, and I have discussed it. The Zhen family's business will be managed by Jiang'er from now on."