Han Ji

Chapter 138 Winning Hearts and Minds

In the small pavilion in the back garden, Su Gu, having changed into casual clothes, sat on a stone bench brewing tea. The stove fire glowed red, and the copper kettle emitted white steam. Seeing Liu Bei arrive, he gestured for him to sit.

"Xuande, try this tea. It's freshly picked from southern Sichuan."

Liu Bei sat down and accepted the teacup. The tea was greenish-blue and had a fragrant aroma.

"Master Su's days are certainly leisurely now."

"I can't stay idle." Su Gu poured himself a cup. "The imperial physician said that if I keep worrying, I'll be lying in my coffin."

The two sat facing each other, drinking tea. Birdsong could be heard in the distance, and chrysanthemums were in full bloom in the garden, a sea of ​​yellow and white.

After a long silence, Su Gu spoke: "Chen Lun is a man you can use, but you have to be wary of him. He's been working for me all these years, and while he's not exactly known for his shady dealings, he's efficient. If you're going to use him, you'll have to have something on him."

Liu Bei nodded: "Thank you for your guidance, Lord Su."

"Among the commanders of the county troops, Chen Lü is Chen Lun's cousin and harbors resentment. Li Gan is Wang Chun's nephew and is greedy. Sun Biao... Sun Biao is an honest man, but he's timid," Su Gu said slowly. "If you want to subdue him, you need to be authoritative with Chen Lü, offer benefits to Li Gan, and as for Sun Biao... just show him some respect."

He rattled off the names of seven or eight people in one breath, detailing their personalities, strengths, weaknesses, and vulnerabilities as if they were his own treasures.

Liu Bei listened quietly.

After saying that, Su Gu let out a long sigh, as if he had finally unloaded his last burden.

"Xuande," he raised his eyes, "what I'm saying today is the last thing I'll leave for Hanzhong after these eight years..."

Liu Bei stood up and bowed deeply.

"I will always remember Lord Su's kindness."

Su Gu smiled and waved his hand: "Go ahead. From now on, this garden is my domain. You go about your important matters, and I'll take care of myself in my old age."

Liu Bei left the pavilion and turned back as he reached the garden gate.

Su Gu sat there, slowly adding charcoal and brewing tea, humming a little tune. The tune was a leisurely folk song from Hanzhong.

The sunlight shone on him, warm and comforting.

Like a painting.

That afternoon, at the county military training ground.

Guan Yu selected three hundred personal guards and arranged them in formation. Opposite them were five hundred county soldiers, with about twenty captains and above standing in front of their formation.

Without wasting words, Guan Yu walked to the center of the arena and drew his sword.

"Bows and crossbows, targets at 100 paces."

Fifty guards stepped forward, drew their crossbows, and fired. Of the fifty arrows, forty-nine hit the bullseye, and one missed by half an inch.

The county soldiers stared wide-eyed.

"Sword and shield, hand-to-hand combat."

One hundred men were divided into fifty groups, engaging in fierce combat. Blades flashed, and shields clashed deafeningly. After a quarter of an hour, the outcome was decided, but no one was seriously injured; the fighting was effortless and controlled.

"Horse riding, circle the arena three times."

Fifty riders set out, their horses like dragons and their men like tigers, and three rounds passed in the blink of an eye, their formation remaining intact.

After the performance, Guan Yu sheathed his sword and walked up to the county military commander.

"You see?" he asked in a deep voice. "These are soldiers."

Chen Lu's face was grim, Li Gan lowered his head, and Sun Biao's eyes gleamed.

"From this day forward," Guan Yu surveyed the crowd, "the soldiers' training shall proceed according to these standards. Daily roll call at 5:00 AM, training begins at 7:00 AM and ends at 5:00 PM. Those who slack off will receive extra training. Those who disobey will be subject to military law."

He paused, then added, "But if you train well, your pay will increase by 30%. Those who perform meritorious service will be rewarded. Those who die in battle will receive double the compensation."

A combination of kindness and severity.

Chen Lu gritted his teeth, finally clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "I will obey the Commander-in-Chief's order!"

Guan Yu nodded and looked at Sun Biao: "Captain Sun."

"Your subordinate is here!"

"Take a team of men and go to Yangping Pass to relieve the garrison. It's a crucial place there, so I'm entrusting it to you."

Sun Biao was taken aback, then overjoyed: "This humble general will defend the pass to the death!"

This is a sign of being given a new position. Chen Lu and Li Gan exchanged a complicated glance.

That night, Liu Bei hosted a banquet at the military camp, inviting the chief officials of the various departments of the prefecture and the generals of the prefecture.

The wine was cloudy, and the meat was stewed, but there was plenty. Liu Bei personally poured the cups, toasting each table in turn.

When he arrived at Chen Lu's table, he sat down and poured himself a bowl of wine.

"Commander Zhao, Lord Su told me that you guarded Yangping Pass for three years. I remember that merit."

Chen Lu was flattered: "Commander, you flatter me. It's just my duty..."

"From now on, Yangping Pass will depend on you." Liu Bei clinked bowls with him. "If there are any needs for the defense of the pass, just report to me. Money, provisions, and military equipment will be allocated to you first."

Chen Lu's eyes welled up with tears, and he tilted his head back to drink it all in one gulp: "Thank you, Commandant!"

When they reached Li Gan's table, Liu Bei changed his tune.

"Captain Li," he chuckled, "I heard you intercepted a shipment of smuggled salt on Micang Road last year, worth a million?"

Li Gan's face turned pale.

"According to the law, one can take ten percent as a reward for intercepting smuggled salt." Liu Bei poured him some wine. "You can collect that reward from Zhang Sima tomorrow. From now on... do a good job."

Li Gan's hand trembled, and he spilled half a bowl of wine: "Thank you, Commandant!"

After offering toasts to everyone, Liu Bei returned to his seat. Zhang Fei leaned over and whispered, "Brother, you were too polite to those bastards!"

"Don't say things like that again." Liu Bei took a sip of wine. "From now on, they're our people too."

When the banquet ended, the moon was already high in the sky.

Liu Bei sat alone in front of his tent, watching his soldiers clean up the mess. Jian Yong came over and handed over the summary of the day's handover accounts.

"The prefectural treasury currently holds 34 million taels of silver. Grain amount to 80,000 shi (a unit of dry measure). Salt..." He paused, "...the salt accounts are incorrect; there's a deficit of at least 2,000 shi."

"Who handled it?"

"Chen Lun. But the accounts were balanced, and there's no evidence."

Liu Bei nodded: "I'll remember that. Let's not touch him for now."

Jian Yong put away the account books: "Brother, we have finally captured Hanzhong today."

"Take it?" Liu Bei looked eastward, towards Luoyang. "It's still early. There's another tough battle ahead, the real test."

The wind rose, making the camp flags flutter in the wind.

The five characters "Liu, Commandant of Hanzhong" on the flag were exceptionally clear under the moonlight.

Now, he is the Commandant of Hanzhong and also the de facto Prefect of Hanzhong.

But this is only the first step on this path.

In the distance, in the rear garden of the prefect's residence.

Su Gu stood by the window, wearing a robe, looking at the lights in the direction of the military camp.

The old servant asked in a low voice, "Prefect, aren't you going to rest yet?"

"Rest." Su Gu turned around. "From today onwards, you can finally get a good night's sleep."

He lay down and closed his eyes.

The autumn wind was bleak outside the window, but he felt unusually calm.

Like a ship that has finally reached the shore.

Even if this shore... was given to me by someone else.

In November of the third year of the Zhongping era, winter arrived in Hanzhong, and it began to rain.

The rain was light, a fine drizzle, but the chill had already seeped into the bones. On the drill ground of the county soldiers, three hundred men stood shirtless, their breath condensing into mist from their mouths and noses. Guan Yu stood on the general's platform, his phoenix eyes half-closed, watching below.

These were the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled selected from the county soldiers. Some were too old, with gray hair and beards; some were too thin, with their ribs clearly visible; and several were obviously injured and could not stand upright.

Guan Yu remained silent for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Some people in the audience started to tremble, whether from the cold or fear, it was hard to tell.

"Chen Lü," Guan Yu said.

Chen Lu stepped forward: "Commander."

"How many years have these people been in the military?"

"At least five years, sometimes... more than ten years."

"More than ten years?" Guan Yu stepped down from the platform and walked up to an old soldier. The old soldier was around fifty years old, with a slight limp in his left leg, and he lowered his head, not daring to look at him.

"In which year were you injured?"

"In the sixth year of the Xiping era... he was shot by an arrow while suppressing bandits."

"Has the compensation been issued?"

"I've received... three hundred coins."

Guan Yu turned to Chen Lu: "A broken leg, three hundred coins?"

Chen Luhan stepped down: "According to...according to the old practice..."