Chapter 63, Tian Kai Li Xin

  In the hall, Liu Taishou raised his teacup and slowly took a sip, slightly furrowing his brow as he pondered Zu Zhao's words.

  It was unprecedented in his tenure, and even in his life, to encounter such a thing, and he had never heard of an arrangement like Zu Chao's. It really went against common sense. He always advocated for being content with one's lot, and even if it wasn't his business, he would still follow the rules and regulations, not allowing any deviation.

  However, he still attaches great importance to capable people. On the one hand, it is his nature; on the other hand, he also needs to consider his reputation for "respecting the virtuous and yielding to scholars". Although Zu Zhao is still young, he is a well-known young talent in the region. Since the other party has proposed this matter so seriously, he must listen to it no matter what.

  He put down his teacup, nodded slowly and asked: "Zu Zhao, since you have this idea, don't hesitate to tell me in detail. If it's really a good strategy for protecting the border and pacifying the people, I will definitely agree."

  Zu Zhao then poured out all the ideas in his mind. His plan was not complicated at all, and it was just a matter of continuing to use the set that he had prepared for theft every winter. The most important thing was to get the name of the county government's approval, after which he could build a private armed force. In fact, building a private armed force is not difficult now. Not only do powerful families have retainers, but even when counties are short of captives or soldiers, they often use the retainers of the county magistrate and county lieutenant to fill in.

  Even Zǔ Fán, who was a wandering swordsman, did not have any assistants arranged for him by the county government because Xú Wú County was not a wealthy county and the county government did not have extra funds to spare. All of Zǔ Fán's subordinates were supported by his family and were personal retainers he had recruited himself.

  The ancestral home of the Zhu family did not have many guests, mainly because the Zhu family had a large population and was prosperous. With the strength of the Zhu family, privately recruiting five or six hundred people and horses would not be a big problem at all, whether it was armor or food, they could provide enough supplies. It's just that because so many people need to be recruited, no matter what, there must be a reasonable name for it.

  Zu Zhao emphasized in his plan that the number of people in the past who defended against bandits and nomadic tribes was not greatly inferior, but the key was that their equipment was too outdated. Except for a few gate guests with short knives for self-defense, most civilians could only use sticks, farm tools, etc. as substitutes. After all, there were very few family sons like Zu Zhao who had bows, horses, and halberds, especially those who had practiced martial arts since childhood and dared to go into battle. Bandits often launched surprise attacks, while nomadic tribes were skilled at riding and shooting, making it difficult for ordinary civilians to respond.

  Liu Taishou listened carefully to Zu Zhao's introduction, and then fell into deep thought again. After a moment of silence, he asked: "Zu Zhao, aren't you thinking of distributing armor to every household? According to the law, each county government has an armory, but in case of emergency, they can distribute the armor from the armory, arm the militia, and resist bandits or respond to conscription. However, after the event, it is necessary to collect all the armor back, in preparation for unexpected events."

  "Sir, the county armory system was still viable several decades ago, but now it's all but gone. In the central plains, the armories have been neglected for years, and most of the armor inside is damaged beyond repair, with no new supplies to replenish them. And in our northern border regions, we frequently face banditry and invasions by the Hu people, so the armor from each county's armory has long since been depleted by the constant military campaigns, leaving us with nothing to fall back on."

  He paused for a moment, then continued in a more serious tone: "As of today, there are countless people among the common folk who possess arms and armor. The wealthy and influential, as well as traveling knights-errant, all have the habit of wearing swords and carrying knives. Hiding weapons among the people is not something to be ashamed of. Moreover, what I am saying is that although military equipment is heavy, it must be practiced diligently in order to achieve the effect of preventing disasters before they occur."

  Liu Taishou nodded slowly and said in a gentle voice, "I understand... However, there are still many things to consider in this matter. After careful consideration at the prefecture, I will definitely give you an answer. For now, since you have come from afar to participate in the imperial examination at the provincial capital, shouldn't you prioritize that for the time being?"

  Zu Zhao originally didn't have much hope, anyway his purpose was just to make a courtesy call on Liu Taishou, and one day Liu Taishou would understand the pros and cons. He bowed respectfully and replied: "It should be so, I was rude earlier."

  After withdrawing from the grand hall, they were accompanied by officials from the county government. The officials first took Zu Chao and his party to a government hostel in the city to rest, where all food and lodging expenses during the inspection period would be borne by the county government. In the afternoon, they could be led by the officials to stroll around the county town, but before evening, they had to hurry back to the prefect's mansion to attend the prefect's dinner party.

  Tonight's dinner is just an ordinary banquet, mainly for the convenience of local officials to get to know each other. Generally speaking, the number of candidates selected by the imperial court through the examination system every year is not fixed, and they are selected based on actual vacancies. Even if one fails in the provincial examination, he can still serve in the county government after returning to his hometown. However, this year there are many vacancies in the provincial government, so those who can stay in the provincial government to work will necessarily be colleagues in the future, which is why the tradition of the governor hosting consecutive banquets has been formed.

  However, although the prefect's dinner party was not a formal assessment, those who attended were all officials of the county government and local dignitaries. Every move made during the banquet would still leave an impression on everyone present.

  Before dusk, Zu Zhao made some preparations, changed into clean clothes and dressed neatly.

  The banquet was set up in a hall in the north courtyard of the governor's mansion, and since the day before yesterday, it had been specially arranged. Although there was no luxury to speak of, all kinds of tables and seats were neatly arranged, with cushions placed according to different positions; incense was lit inside and outside, showing the dignity and grandeur of the governor's mansion, with a unique style of gathering for scholars.

  Zu Zhao arrived at the governor's mansion after receiving the official notification. Before the banquet officially began, he was taken to a small hall in the north wing to wait for a while. He had arrived relatively early and waited in the small hall for a bit when two other guests were brought in by the governor's attendants. These two guests were both young men in their twenties who, like him, were upright scholars recommended from other counties through this year's imperial examination.

  Following the second guest, the county magistrate specially introduced to Zu Zhao: "Zu Gongzi, you are new here today. These two gentlemen arrived at the county government yesterday and are the morally upright scholars from Wuzhong and Guangcheng counties. This is Li Xian, styled Xianyan, who was recommended by Guangcheng County as a heroic and morally upright scholar in this year's examination."

  Zu Zhao took a glance at Li Xin, and saw that he was over seven feet tall, more than half a head taller than himself. He had a sturdy and well-proportioned build, with sharp cheekbones and sword-like eyebrows. At first glance, he looked like a man of great integrity. However, his coarse linen clothes were too simple, with several patches on each sleeve, revealing that he came from a poor family. It was almost impossible for a poor family to raise a strong and powerful son, as having strength meant eating more, and someone like Li Xin, who was tall and sturdy, would need at least three meals a day, each meal equivalent to four or five people's portions. How could there be such a generous family in these times of drought and hardship?

  This made him feel very surprised, and he couldn't help but wonder whether Li Xin was a recent decline in his family's fortunes or a true born genius.

  Li Xīn was also pleased, smiling and making a fist to greet Zu Zhāo, saying: "I've long heard of your name, Young Master Zu. Today I finally get to meet you, Li is truly delighted. What an honor! What an honor!"

  Zu Zhaoyi politely returned the courtesy: "Brother Li's words are too kind, I am ashamed and dare not accept them."

  The county magistrate turned to another person who was not tall or short, but had a good figure and introduced him: "This is Tian Kai, a righteous man from Wuzhong County, with the character of Zi Hui. Also entered the category of bravery and integrity."

  Zu Zhao slightly raised an eyebrow, in his opinion, this young man named Tian Kai should be the oldest among the three. From start to finish, he had a calm and collected demeanor, neither fawning nor casual, as if he couldn't care less about what was happening around him. On the surface, he seemed indifferent, but beneath that, he appeared to have some disdain for others.

  He paid great attention to this person, not because the other party was not enthusiastic, but because he considered that it might be Tian Kai, a future general under Gongsun Zan. After Gongsun Zan broke with Yuan Shao, he sent Tian Kai and Yuan Shao to attack each other, and both sides held large armies for two years without gaining the upper hand, which shows that Tian Kai still had some ability.

  Tian Kai just slightly nodded his head towards Zu Zhao, from start to finish he didn't say a word.

  Zu Zhao still maintained his courtesy, making a bow with his hands clasped together and said: "Nice to meet you."

  Tian Kai (died 199), a subordinate of Gongsun Zan and the Governor of Qingzhou. When Tao Qian was attacked by Cao Cao, Tian led Liu Bei to rescue him. In the second year of Jianping, Zan turned against Yuan Shao and personally led his main force to attack Shao, sending troops to pacify Qing and Yan provinces, while Tian followed Zan's orders to occupy the land of Qi. Shao and Tian fought for two years, exhausting their soldiers and depleting their food supplies, forcing them to plunder the common people, leaving no grass in the fields. Later, Yuan Tan, son of Yuan Shao, arrived at Qingzhou, and Tian Kai was defeated by him in battle, fleeing to Youzhou. He later died in battle during the Battle of Yi Jing.