Chương 334: Liu Ce thought of Liu Bei, and Liu Bei sighed.

In Zhuo County, Youzhou, Liu Ce was currently with the children, playing with them while gazing at the snowy scenery of the north. He sighed softly and said:

"Go ahead and fight, the more lively your fighting is, the more secure I am in the north."

Liu Ce just needs to wait.

Let's wait for this storm to blow down what should be blown down and leave what should be left behind.

Then, he made his move again.

This is the ultimate level of slacking off... letting others work hard while you watch the show, and then cleaning up the mess in the end.

...

In the sixth year of Zhongping, in late December, in Zhuo County, Youzhou, the weather was so cold that people's snot could freeze into icicles.

Inside the council hall of the Prince of Yan's mansion, the charcoal fire burned brightly, making one feel so warm that one wanted to doze off.

Liu Ce sat nestled in the main seat, one hand supporting his chin, the other tapping the armrest absently as he listened to the reports from his subordinates.

Fang Xuanling spoke first: "My lord, the winter wheat in all the counties of Youzhou is growing well, and next year will be another bumper harvest. Furthermore, the newly opened irrigation canals have been completed, which will irrigate even more land. Thirty percent of the cement roads in Jizhou have already been repaired..."

Liu Ce nodded and said, "Okay."

Du Ruhui continued, "My lord, the land survey in Bingzhou is 80% complete... The newly appointed county magistrates have done a good job, and the people..."

Liu Ce nodded again and said, "Yes, that's good."

Xun Yu said, "Youzhou Academy has enrolled new students again... most of them are from poor families. Zhang Zhongjing and Hua Tuo from the medical school wrote that the third batch of students are already able to practice medicine independently and suggested opening another branch..."

Liu Ce nodded again and said, "Yes, thank you for your hard work."

Guo Jia leaned closer, smiling, and said, "My lord, your 'hmm' today seems a bit perfunctory. Are you finding our reports too boring?"

Liu Ce rolled his eyes at him and said, "You're quite the mind reader. It's really a bit boring. All you're saying are good things, and you get tired of hearing good things all the time."

Guo Jia chuckled and said, "How about I tell you something bad? For example, a county magistrate in Ji Province has been investigated for corruption, and there's a band of mountain bandits in Bing Province that hasn't been wiped out yet..."

"Alright, alright," Liu Ce waved his hand and said, "Good things and bad things all sound the same. I want to hear something new."

He rested his chin on his hand, his mind racing.

Eighteen... oh, now it's nineteen warlords opposing Dong Zhuo... This event was historically significant, but this time it's a bit different. Gongsun Zan didn't go, Han Fu didn't go either, but some more people joined the effort.

Gongsun Zan is in Youzhou, under his command. Without his orders, Gongsun Zan naturally wouldn't dare to act. As for Han Fu? He's currently in charge of Jizhou; Han Fu's whereabouts are unknown.

What was this meeting to challenge the board of directors like?

Will those two clowns, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, start fighting again?

Will Cao Cao be able to rise to prominence?

Was Sun Jian still a fierce tiger?

As he was thinking, he suddenly exclaimed "Holy crap!" and sat up straight in his chair.

Fang Xuanling was startled and asked, "My lord, what's wrong?"

"It's alright, it's alright, you can continue." Liu Ce waved his hand, but his mind was already racing.

Liu Bei! Liu Xuande!

He is now the magistrate of Anxi County, which is in Jizhou! Because of the good political environment in Jizhou, he did not abandon his post and run away like people in history.

(Although Liu Ce has only been in charge of Ji Province's administration for a little over a year, he was previously in charge of Ji Province's military affairs on a temporary basis, so...) When his child was born last time, Liu Bei and other officials sent gifts. At that time, he was too busy looking at the child to pay much attention. Now that he thinks about it, isn't that Liu Xuande who weaves mats and sells shoes?

Liu Ce slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Good heavens, I almost forgot about this big shot!"

Du Ruhui asked in confusion, "Who is my lord referring to?"

Liu Ce laughed and said, "Liu Bei, Liu Xuande?"

Liu Ce stood up and paced around the hall, saying, "You may not know much about this person, but I do. He is said to be a member of the Han imperial family, a descendant of Prince Jing of Zhongshan. Although he is currently just a minor county magistrate, I observe that he has great ambitions and is able to adapt to circumstances. He will surely amount to something extraordinary in the future."

Xun Yu frowned slightly and said, "Does my lord mean... to give him an important position? Or...?"

Liu Ce shook his head, smiled meaningfully, and said, "It's not about giving it a second term, it's just a temporary measure."

......

Liu Ce casually replied, "Lu Bing!"

Lu Bing emerged from the corner and said, "Here."

"Send someone to Anxi County and summon Liu Bei. Tell him... tell him I have something to discuss with him." Liu Ce paused, then added, "Be polite, don't frighten him."

Lu Bing clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes."

...

In the small courtyard behind the Anxi County government office, Liu Bei was drinking with his two brothers.

Liu Bei held his wine bowl and sighed.

Fang Yue saw her older brother sigh and sighed as well, asking, "Big brother, what's wrong now?"

Liu Bei sighed again and said, "I have so many skills, but there's nowhere for them to be used."

Wang Shuang, munching on a chicken leg, mumbled, "Brother, you've said that eight hundred times. What skills don't have a use? You sit in the county office every day, judging cases and managing public order, isn't that good enough?"

Liu Bei glared at him and said, "What do you know? I, your brother, am destined for great things! Back in Guangzong, I fought the Yellow Turbans alongside the Prince of Yan. I knew then that I, Liu Xuande, shouldn't be confined to this small place!"

Fang Yue scratched his head and said, "But brother, the Prince of Yan has governed Ji Province very well. The people live in peace and contentment, and there are hardly any petty thieves. I go to the yamen every day, just sit and drink tea, and occasionally deal with some trivial matters. What's the difference between that and retiring?"

Liu Bei sighed again, "That's why I'm worried. I want to do great things, but there are no great things for me to do. I want to achieve great deeds, but there are no achievements for me to make. I..."

He suddenly lowered his voice and said, "Have you heard? Cao Cao issued a forged imperial edict in Chenliu, inviting all the warlords of the land to attack Dong Zhuo!"

Wang Shuang's eyes lit up.

"I've heard about it! Big brother, let's go too!"

Liu Bei rolled his eyes at him and said, "We're under the jurisdiction of the Prince of Yan. Do you think we can just go wherever we want?"

Fang Yue scratched her head and said, "Big brother is right."

Wang's eyes darted around, and a mischievous idea popped into his head.

"Brother," he said, "how about... we quit being county magistrates? Resign! Let's go straight to Suanzao and join the army against Dong Zhuo!"

Upon hearing this, Fang Yue's eyes lit up, and she exclaimed, "Third brother's idea is great! Eldest brother, I think it's a good idea!"

Liu Bei was stunned.

Resign from office?

He looked down at his official robes. Although he wasn't a high-ranking official, he was still a government official with a monthly salary. When he went out, people would call him "County Commandant Liu," and when he came home, there would be hot meals for him.

He recalled the days when he wove mats and sold shoes, the days when his hands would crack from the cold in winter and he would still twist hemp rope, and the days when he didn't know where his next meal would come from...

He shivered.

"No," he shook his head and said, "I cannot resign from my post."

Wang Shuang exclaimed anxiously, "Why, brother? This is a golden opportunity to make a name for ourselves!"

Liu Bei glared at him and said, "Establish merit and achieve great things? What if you fail? What if you die on the battlefield? You two are both bachelors; if you die, so be it. If I die, who will restore the Han Dynasty?"