Chương 14: Drawing the Sword, Officially Taking Power

Liu Ce pulled his horse forward, and the two generals and eight hundred Xuanjia soldiers immediately dismounted, knelt on one knee, and saluted in unison.

"Greetings, my lord!"

"Please rise!"

Liu Ce turned to Guan Yu and the other three and introduced them.

"These two are newly recruited generals, Qin Qiong and Cheng Yaojin. From now on, they will be our brothers."

Then he said to the two new generals, "These four are my brothers, and they are the pillars of our army: Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Dian Wei."

"You two should get to know each other."

Qin Qiong, courtesy name Shubao.

Cheng Yaojin, courtesy name Zhijie.

……

"If we encounter bandits on the road again while carrying Cheng Yaojin, we'll have a lot of fun," Liu Ce thought to himself, suppressing a laugh as he looked at Cheng Yaojin.

……

Liu Ce leaned slightly forward on his horse, a half-smile on his face, and gave instructions to the soldiers standing guard at the city gate.

"Go, run an errand and ask the Prefectural Assistant, the Commandant, and the Chief Clerk to wait at the entrance of the Prefect's residence. Tell them that I, the Prefect, have important matters to discuss with you."

Watching the soldiers run away, Liu Ce chuckled to himself.

"Damn it! Zhao Peng, Wang Xiu, and Zhou Yi, those old foxes, always try to fool me. Today I'm going to show you what real strength is, and see if you'll behave yourselves after that!"

Before long, a striking scene appeared at the gate of Zhuojun City.

Liu Ce took the lead, followed by six military generals and eight hundred Xuanjia soldiers.

The troops stood in perfect formation, their black armor gleaming coldly in the sunlight. The only sounds in the ranks were the clatter of horses' footsteps and the clanging of armor against armor.

A chilling atmosphere swept over them, causing passersby to give way, yet they couldn't help but crane their necks to watch the spectacle, their whispers filled with astonishment and awe.

As they approached the prefect's residence, the prefectural assistant Zhao Peng, the commandant Wang Xiu, the chief clerk Zhou Yi, and others who were already waiting heard the deep, rhythmic footsteps from afar, and the ground seemed to tremble slightly.

They exchanged glances, their minds racing with calculations.

What's this governor up to? Where did he conjure up such an elite force?

As the troops approached, they were greeted by uniform, well-equipped soldiers and sharp, composed eyes.

Although these seasoned officials maintained respectful smiles on their faces, their hearts were in turmoil, and they had to suppress their previous thoughts considerably.

Liu Ce sat upright on his horse, taking in the subtle changes in the officials' expressions—surprise, speculation, unease—and felt incredibly pleased, though he only smiled slightly on the surface.

Upon reaching the gates of the mansion, he reined in his horse, glanced at the officials, and deliberately asked in a slightly mocking tone. (ಡωಡ)

"Old Zhao, Old Wang, Old Zhou, the weather's really nice today. You're all very experienced people. Look at my troops, what do you think?"

The Prefectural Magistrate, Old Zhao, reacted the fastest, stepping forward and bowing.

"The governor's army is truly strong and powerful, a formidable force that commands respect! Such a mighty army is a blessing to the people of Zhuojun!"

Commandant Wang, being in charge of military affairs, was more discerning and knew that this unit's combat power far surpassed that of his own soldiers. Consequently, his arrogance diminished, and he quickly echoed the sentiment.

"Truly a formidable army! With such a powerful force, how can we worry about unrest in the region!"

Commandant Wang, however, was secretly thinking that there was likely to be a major change in military power.

Chief Secretary Zhou stroked his sparse beard, his eyes darting around, seemingly deep in thought.

Liu Ce listened to these polite words and didn't bother to point them out, and casually chatted with them for a few more minutes.

After a while, he gave instructions to the generals beside him, including Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.

"Yun Chang, Zilong... you take the soldiers to the main camp outside the city to settle down, rest well, and train rigorously."

"Yide, Elai, stay here."

Guan Yu and the others clasped their hands in obeisance, their voices booming, "Your subordinates obey!"

He then led the Xuanjia Army and turned to head out of the city.

Watching the army depart, Liu Ce slowly dismounted and spoke to the group of officials who were now noticeably more disciplined.

"Alright, stop standing around at the door and come inside. There are some government affairs I need to discuss with you all."

Looking at the Prefectural Magistrate Zhao, the Commandant Wang, and the Chief Clerk Zhou, Liu Ce felt like a max-level player in a game returning to the beginner village to cause trouble.

After Liu Ce entered the prefectural government, he held a "friendly exchange meeting" in the main hall of the prefectural government to give these "old hands" a good talking-to.

Liu Ce sat in the main seat, with Zhang Fei and Dian Wei standing on either side. He had a smile on his face, but his gaze made Lao Zhao and the others feel very cold.

Liu Ce wasn't in a hurry. After a while, he started by asking about the allocation of seeds for next year's spring planting and then about the distribution of winter clothing for this year's city defense soldiers. Every question he asked was to the point, and he remembered it even better than the old officials.

Just as Lao Zhao was about to start his usual routine of complaining about being poor, Liu Ce directly exposed the shady dealings in his tax revenue last year.

Just as Lao Wang was about to bring up the issue of "outdated weapons," Liu Ce casually recited the serial numbers of several bows in the armory and asked why these new bows had not been issued yet.

This situation made the others quite uneasy: How did this prefect manage to figure out the whole mess in Zhuojun in just a few days?

Liu Ce felt the time was right, so he slowly and deliberately released several decrees: something like "XXXX" and something like "XXXX", each one placed at the point where they had previously been most perfunctory.

After he finished, he picked up his teacup, took a sip, and smiled casually.

"By the way, my philosophy on employing people is 'to reward even enemies and punish even relatives without favoritism.'"

"Everyone here is smart. As long as you do your job well, you'll get everything you deserve."

"But what if anyone thinks they can just coast along like before..."

He paused, then smiled, glancing at Zhang and Dian out of the corner of his eye.

"I'm a sentimental person, but General Zhang and General Dian, who are by my side, might have different temperaments."

After saying that, the two of them glared at them.

These words sound polite, but the meaning behind them is clear to Lao Zhao and his ilk, who have been in officialdom for many years.

That is: work hard and you'll get rewarded; if you want to play tricks, you can be replaced anytime.

Afterwards, Lao Zhao, Lao Wang, and Lao Zhou, as usual, gathered together again.

Old Wang was so angry he slapped his thigh: "This isn't a prefect! This is clearly a living devil! How are we supposed to skim off the top now?"

Old Zhou sighed, "They're a member of the Han imperial family, leading elite troops. Now they know everything about us. Fight them head-on? Do you think you can outmaneuver their two guards?"

(A fierce-looking duo: We're both afraid of fighting.) Old Zhao, who had been silent all along, slowly spoke up.

"Let's all keep quiet. This gentleman is shrewd and has an even sharper eye."

"What are we local bullies in his eyes? I think we should just behave ourselves from now on, at least we can still earn a good reputation for 'cooperating'."

"If he really treats us like the chicken that needs to be 'killed as an example to warn a hundred,' heh..."

He didn't say anything more, but the other two shivered, and they both thought of Dian Wei's fist, which was as big as a sandbag, and Zhang Fei's dark face and cold eyes.

The group exchanged glances, and each of them could read two words on the other's face: "I admit defeat."

From that day on, the atmosphere of officialdom in Zhuojun was completely renewed.