Chapter 722: The Decision of the Xun Clan
Chapter 722: The Decision of the Xun Clan
September 25, 2017
As the reorganization of Lu Hai Kong's military forces unfolds, it's evident that he is sharpening his blades, preparing to take action against the Wu Xian tribes.
In terms of strength, this war should not pose a significant challenge for Lu Hai Kong. Although the enemy may possess superior military might, their unity and combat effectiveness fall far short. Once the battle commences, Lu Hai Kong should swiftly overwhelm them.
However, before this war erupts, Lu Hai Kong has some minor issues to address.
Over the past four months, Lu Hai Kong has benefited from the free labor provided by the Xun Clan uncle and nephew.
With the four commanderies of Wuyuan, Yunzhong, Dingxiang, and Yanmen firmly under Lu Hai Kong's control, the local clans have been subdued, and the border tribes have dared not encroach upon the borders since Lu Hai Kong's appointment as Governor. Consequently, the living conditions of the common people in these four commanderies have significantly improved.
Under the leadership of Tian Feng, with the assistance of the Xun Clan uncle and nephew, the four commanderies have focused on agricultural development and land reclamation. In just four months, they have managed to increase the cultivated land by a third, and Lu Hai Kong has successfully consolidated control over the grain tax in these areas.
With this achievement, the four commanderies in Bingzhou can now barely achieve self-sufficiency.
This self-sufficiency does not imply feeding the entire population but rather refers to the grain tax collected from the people being sufficient to sustain Lu Hai Kong's army of tens of thousands. Even this sustenance only covers daily provisions, military equipment, training, and comfort, excluding other expenses. Still, this arrangement alone saves Lu Hai Kong millions in expenses annually.
This is not the full potential of the four commanderies, and Lu Hai Kong's influence is extending beyond their borders. Once he gains complete control over Bingzhou, the grain tax alone will be enough to support an army of hundreds of thousands.
However, just as Lu Hai Kong is about to extend his reach into the five commanderies, a problem arises. It's not the resistance from the local clans in the five commanderies that is the issue; their opposition is not strong enough to cause Lu Hai Kong any significant trouble. The real problem is that the Xun Clan uncle and nephew, who have been overseeing this matter, are now ready to drop the burden and leave. This is a critical situation!
Although Lu Hai Kong has Tian Feng and others to handle the task, the severe shortage of scholars in his command makes it challenging to manage without the Xun Clan uncle and nephew. Tian Feng can comfortably manage and expand the four commanderies, but extending their reach beyond is a daunting task.
If possible, Lu Hai Kong would prefer to keep the Xun Clan uncle and nephew.
However, from the start, the Xun Clan has been forced to stay by Lu Hai Kong. Now, after working for him for free for several months, it would be impolite to refuse their request to leave.
In light of this, Lu Hai Kong has been avoiding the uncle and nephew in recent days.
But Lu Hai Kong cannot avoid them forever, especially with his imminent departure for the campaign. Many matters require discussion and coordination with Xi Zhicai, and the Xun Clan uncle and nephew are conveniently waiting by Xi Zhicai's side.
"It's inevitable; I'll have to face it sooner or later," Lu Hai Kong sighed as he emerged from the trading market and headed straight towards Xi Zhicai.
Sure enough, when Lu Hai Kong arrived, the Xun Clan uncle and nephew were leisurely waiting, with a pot of clear wine and several small dishes, each holding a book. They seemed quite at ease.
Upon seeing Lu Hai Kong approaching with large strides, both men smiled and stood up to greet him, "Lord Lu!"
This address of 'Lord Lu' also caught the attention of Xi Zhicai, who was working just a wall away. He was slightly startled, knowing Lu Hai Kong's eagerness to retain these talented individuals. Lu Hai Kong's early arrival seemed a bit unexpected.
Lu Hai Kong's early appearance surprised Xi Zhicai, who momentarily set aside his work to observe the interaction between Lu Hai Kong and the Xun Clan uncle and nephew.
From the moment Lu Hai Kong arrived, Xun Yu began to bid farewell after some casual greetings.
What surprised Xi Zhicai even more was Lu Hai Kong's almost symbolic attempt to retain Xun Yu, followed by immediate agreement.
Not only Xi Zhicai but even Xun Yu himself was taken aback by this response. Given Lu Hai Kong's previous behavior, he had expected a more strenuous effort to retain him. Why had Lu Hai Kong suddenly agreed so readily?
Xun Yu had prepared extensive arguments to convince Lu Hai Kong, but Lu Hai Kong's action left him feeling like a hammer had struck the surface of the water without making a ripple.
However, Xun Yu quickly adjusted his mindset, not concerned with Lu Hai Kong's motives as long as his goal was achieved.
Four months is not an excessively long or short period, but it was enough for Xun Yu to understand someone thoroughly.
Despite having less interaction with Lu Hai Kong than Xun Yu during this time, Xun Yu had gained a comprehensive understanding of Lu Hai Kong.
In his eyes, Lu HaiKong was a man with heavy blessings from the heavens, but he was not a loyal and patriotic individual. Lu HaiKong carried a strong air of banditry, acted domineeringly, and lacked a sense of security, always prioritizing the enhancement of military power above all else.
Such a person, if not careful, could easily walk down a path of no return.
What further angered Xun Yu was that Xi Zhi Cai clearly understood how dangerous Lu HaiKong's current state was, yet he continued to let him be, showing no intention of curbing Lu HaiKong's dangerous thoughts in their infancy, and even subtly encouraging them.
Xun Yu had argued with Xi Zhi Cai about this matter more than once, and each time, they debated until their faces turned red, but Xi Zhi Cai never changed his mind.
Since he couldn't change anything by staying, Xun Yu had no choice but to leave. He was going to find his own path to revive the Han dynasty, and he had even prepared to treat Lu HaiKong as a hypothetical enemy.
In Xun Yu's opinion, despite Lu HaiKong having talented individuals like Xi Zhi Cai and Tian Feng under his command, and with the continuous production of talents from the Li Cai Xueguan, his power was growing stronger by the day. But as long as he and his nephew joined forces and found a wise leader, they would be able to restrain Lu HaiKong, a wolf driven by ambition.
Under these circumstances, whether Lu HaiKong was feigning or sincere in letting him go didn't matter to Xun Yu; all that mattered was being able to leave this place.
After submitting his resignation, Xun Yu didn't engage in much conversation with Lu HaiKong. He didn't feel there was anything worth discussing between them, so after resigning, Xun Yu stood up and prepared to leave.
Just as Xun Yu was about to leave, he suddenly realized something was amiss. He had stood up, but his nephew hadn't. His nephew remained seated, showing no intention of getting up to leave.
Recalling the entire process, Xun Yu seemed to have said nothing at all. Connecting this with the frequent interactions between Xun Yu and Lu HaiKong over the past four months, and considering his nephew's current behavior, Xun Yu's expression changed.
"Gongda, you?"
In the 1619 version of the book!
"Mr. Gongda promised Lu to accompany him on a trip to the grasslands!" Lu HaiKong responded as Xun Yu spoke.
Hearing this, Xun Yu's expression changed, and even Xi Zhi Cai, who was separated by a wall, was momentarily taken aback. He had been busy with various affairs and hadn't noticed when Lu HaiKong and Xun Yu had gotten together, but after his initial surprise, a smile crept onto Xi Zhi Cai's lips.
"Wenruo, I've promised the Lord to assist him in the conquest of the grasslands, so this time, I'm afraid I can't accompany you on your departure!" Xun Yu said solemnly, setting down the book in his hand.
In truth, although Xun Yu and Xun Yu were uncle and nephew, Xun Yu, the nephew, was actually six years older than Xun Yu. Xun Yu was twenty-eight, while Xun Yu was only twenty-two.
At this time, regardless of talent or wisdom, Xun Yu was subtly superior to Xun Yu. However, Xun Yu usually kept a low profile and didn't show off, and with Xun Yu being only twenty-two, his character was not yet settled, often unconsciously stealing the spotlight. Additionally, the fact that they were uncle and nephew gave the impression that Xun Yu was more outstanding.
Even in Xun Yu's subconscious, there was a subtle sense of being above Xun Yu. For instance, this resignation was a unilateral decision, and he hadn't even discussed it with Xun Yu, which led to the current situation.
Seeing Xun Yu's calm gaze, a complex emotion welled up in Xun Yu's heart, making him feel betrayed.
In reality, Xun Yu was only twenty-two at this time. Historically, he was twenty-six when he was recommended as a filial and incorrupt official. At this point, he was just starting his career, and it was understandable for him to feel agitated in this situation.
At that moment, Xun Yu's eyes turned red, and he desperately wanted to question Xun Yu. Why choose Lu HaiKong, a man who rose from the bottom, carrying a fierce aura and acting domineeringly? Why choose a man filled with ambition and lacking loyalty?
But Xun Yu didn't voice these questions, not because Lu HaiKong was right beside him, but because Xun Yu's calm gaze told him that he might receive an answer he didn't want to hear.
So Xun Yu stood there for a while, saying nothing.
During Xun Yu's silence, Lu HaiKong clearly observed Xun Yu's emotional shift from anger to calm, all within a matter of minutes.
Once Xun Yu completely calmed down, his initial anger vanished, and he regained his original elegant and refined demeanor.
With a graceful bow to Lu HaiKong and Xun Yu, Xun Yu turned and strode away.
Seeing Xun Yu's remarkable composure, a hint of disappointment flashed in Lu HaiKong's eyes.
Such a talented individual couldn't be kept, which was indeed a significant regret for Lu HaiKong. Fortunately, he had managed to retain another talent!
(End of Chapter)
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