Chương 488: Ranking in Chapter 488

Then, Liu Ce took a sheet of paper with the names of Yuwen Chengdu, Lü Bu, Xun You, Tian Feng, Ju Shou, Chen Gong, Xu Shu, Cheng Yu, Huang Zhong, Zhang He, Yu Jin, Yuchi Gong, Gongsun Zan, and Xu Chu written on it and pasted it on the row of papers next to the county magistrate's table, saying:

"Yuwen Chengdu, Lü Bu, Xun You, Tian Feng, Ju Shou, Chen Gong, Xu Shu, Cheng Yu, Huang Zhong, Zhang He, Yu Jin, Yuchi Gong, Gongsun Zan, Xu Chu, and the County Duke!"

Upon hearing this, Cai Yan, Zhang Ning, Zhen Jiang, and the others all nodded in agreement.

Zhen Jiang said, "Yuwen Chengdu, Lü Bu, and Huang Zhong are all fierce generals, invincible on the battlefield. Xun You, Tian Feng, Ju Shou, Chen Gong, Xu Shu, and Cheng Yu are all strategists of great talent. Zhang He and Yu Jin are strict in disciplining their troops, Yuchi Gong is loyal and brave, Gongsun Zan's White Horse Cavalry is renowned throughout the northern frontier, and Xu Chu is the commander of my husband's personal guard, utterly loyal.

It would be very appropriate to enfeoff these people as county dukes."

Then, Liu Ce took out a piece of paper with Lu Bing and Shen Wansan's names written on it, looked at the ranking of noble titles on the wall, and hesitated to put it up.

He frowned, gesturing back and forth between "county magistrate" and "county marquis," hesitant and undecided.

Upon seeing this, Mi Zhen and Gan Mei exchanged a glance and spoke at the same time.

Mi Zhen said, "My lord, I have a few words to say for Shen Wansan. Although Shen Wansan is neither a military general nor a civil official, he manages the commerce of the country and has made us countless riches."

Gan Mei added, "Without him, where would the army get its provisions and pay? Moreover, he was honest and never embezzled; his accounts were crystal clear, and even Fang Xuanling couldn't find any fault with them. For such a person, being granted the title of county duke is not a high honor."

Liu Ce thought about it and felt it made sense, so he moved Shen Wansan's name to the row of county magistrates.

At the same time, Yin Ying also spoke up and said many good things about Lu Bing.

Yin Ying was arranged to enter the manor by Lu Bing, and she always remembered this favor.

At this moment, Yin Ying also spoke up: "My lord, I have a few words to say for Lu Bing."

"Oh? You go ahead."

Yin Ying said earnestly, "Lu Bing is in charge of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, monitoring the world, purging powerful families who have done all sorts of bad things, and collecting intelligence... Now he manages the security in Luoyang very well, and we don't need to bring guards when we go out at night."

Moreover, he was particularly strict in investigating corrupt officials, and he uncovered many corrupt officials who oppressed the people. The people were very grateful to him.

He was also in charge of the war criminals in Gongdelin Prison; not one of them escaped. Although the Embroidered Uniform Guard had a bad reputation, they did solid work.

Liu Ce nodded and moved Lu Bing's name to the row of county officials' names as well.

Although Shen Wansan had never been on the battlefield, he was Liu Ce's money bag.

Without money, wars cannot be fought, soldiers cannot be fed, and food cannot be purchased.

This achievement is far greater than killing a few enemy generals.

Although Lu Bing had never been on the battlefield, his intelligence network saved the army's lives countless times and caught the enemy off guard on numerous occasions.

The Jinyiwei's achievements were subtle and understated, yet each move was deadly.

"Alright, let's go with the county magistrate. One's in charge of the purse strings, the other's in charge of the weapon—both are important."

Mi Zhen, Gan Mei, and Yin Ying exchanged glances and all smiled with satisfaction.

Next are the county marquis level, which has the largest number and the most complex situation.

Li Jing, Li Ji, Su Lie, Yue Fei, and Qi Jiguang were all system rewards from Liu Ce, but their contributions were genuine.

Liu Ce classified them all as county marquises and explained the situation to his wives.

"Although these men arrived late, their contributions are no less than anyone else's." Liu Ce posted their names: "Li Jing, Li Ji, and Su Lie played a crucial role in the campaigns to eliminate Dong Zhuo and pacify the warlords. Yue Fei and Qi Jiguang pacified Jiaozhou and Yizhou, silencing the barbarians and bringing the whole country to submission. Their titles of county marquises are well-deserved."

Gao Shun, Qu Yi, Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Luo Cheng, Taishi Ci, Gan Ning, Gao Lan, Xu Huang, Cheng Pu, and Han Dang—a whole host of fierce generals, each capable of leading an army independently.

"These people either lead elite troops into battle or guard their posts; their contributions are considerable." Liu Ce approached them one by one.

"Gao Shun's elite battalion and Qu Yi's vanguard suicide squad are our ace troops; we rely on them to win tough battles."

Zhang Zhongjing and Hua Tuo, the founders of medical schools, saved the lives of countless soldiers, and the common people all remember their kindness.

Song Yingxing focused on industry and military production, while Jia Sixie promoted agriculture. One made the knife sharper, and the other made grain production greater; both were pillars of the nation.

Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao had followed Liu Ce since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, fighting in the south and the north. Although their reputations were not as great as Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, they had made many contributions.

Cai Yong, Zhen Yi, Zhao Peng, Wang Xiu, Zhou Yi, Zhang Zhongjing, Hua Tuo, Song Yingxing, Jia Sixie, Tian Chou, Tian Yu, Zhou Cang, and Pei Yuanshao—these civil officials, technical talents, and grassroots military officers were all included in Liu Ce's list of county marquises.

Cai Yan looked at Cai Yong's name and smiled slightly, "Father was able to be enfeoffed as a county marquis entirely because of my husband's grace. He didn't actually achieve any military merits; he just taught and wrote."

Liu Ce laughed and said, "Lord Cai is a model for all scholars in the world, with students all over the land. It is only right that he be granted the title of Marquis of a County."

Zhen Jiang looked at Zhen Yi's name, her eyes slightly red: "Father... thank you, husband."

Liu Ce grasped her hand: "Father-in-law is also a hero, no need to thank me."

......

After working all night, the ranking of everyone's titles has been tentatively determined: Dukes: Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Dian Wei, Qin Qiong, Cheng Yaojin.

The following were the Dukes of the Commandery: Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Xu Da, Xue Rengui, Xun Yu, Guo Jia, Xi Zhicai, Jia Xu, and Zhang Liao.

County Dukes: Yuwen Chengdu, Lü Bu, Xun You, Tian Feng, Ju Shou, Chen Gong, Xu Shu, Cheng Yu, Huang Zhong, Zhang He, Yu Jin, Yuchi Gong, Gongsun Zan, Shen Wansan, Lu Bing.

County Marquises: Li Jing, Li Ji, Su Dingfang, Yue Fei, Qi Jiguang, Gao Shun, Qu Yi, Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Luo Cheng, Taishi Ci, Gan Ning, Gao Lan, Xu Huang, Cheng Pu, Han Dang, Cai Yong, Zhen Yi, Zhou Cang, Pei Yuanshao, Tian Chou, Tian Yu, Zhao Peng, Wang Xiu, Zhou Yi, Zhang Zhongjing, Hua Tuo, Song Yingxing, Jia Sixie.

Township Marquises: Zhen Yao, Zhen Yan, Chang Yuchun, Li Wenzhong.

The list of officials including Marquis, Earl, Viscount, Baron, and Marquis within the Pass is too long. Liu Ce plans to have Fang Xuanling draft a proposal, which he will then review.

...

Before we knew it, dawn was breaking. The roasted sweet potatoes on the table had long since gone cold, and several jugs of rice wine had been finished.

The ladies were yawning incessantly, some even dozing off in their chairs.

"Alright, alright, let's stop chatting, it's almost dawn." Liu Ce clapped his hands with a smile.

"You guys should go back to sleep, don't exhaust yourselves. I've noted down everything you've said, and I'll consider it carefully when it comes to the investiture."