Express News 021

  He put on his clothes, opened the door, and Gao Fei saw Zhao Yun standing outside.

  "Sir, you're awake?" Zhao Yun said when he saw Gao Fei, his whole person looked very humble, and bowed.

  Gao Fei was taken aback for a moment, then saw that Zhao Yun's eye bags were slightly darkened and his eyes were filled with bloodshot, so he asked: "Zilong, did you... stand guard outside my door all night?"

  Zhao Yun said: "To serve adults is what should be done."

  "What about the other guards? You're a captain of the guard, and yet you personally came on duty. Those guards are also too much!" Gao Fei said in a low, angry tone.

  Zhao Yun smiled and said, "Sir, don't blame those people. It's my own fault for coming to take your night watch. Last night everyone was too excited, and many people got drunk. The soldiers guarding the city gate were also drunk. I was afraid something unexpected would happen, so I had them replace the officers on guard duty. Sir, you have me personally keeping watch here."

  "Zi Long, you are indeed a rare talent with a loyal and righteous heart. Now that the sky is bright, I suppose everyone else has also sobered up. Why don't you go take a rest, get some good sleep and nourish your spirit?"

  "No! I'll take my leave!"

  Gao Fei watched Zhao Yun's back as he left, still feeling delighted. He didn't expect that after Zhao Yun joined him, he would be so diligent and dedicated. He muttered to himself: "Zhao Yun is really a conscientious good employee, if all my subordinates in the future can be like him, that would be great."

  As he arrived at the county government hall, he saw some soldiers cleaning up the mess left over from last night's celebration banquet. He thought to himself that hosting such a banquet must have cost a lot in this time of scarcity and poverty. He strode towards the gate, but before he even stepped out, Lu Heng came walking over with Liao Hua, Pei Yuanshao, and Bian Xi, all looking delighted. "What's got you all so happy?"

  Lu Heng, Liao Hua, Pei Yuanshao and Bian Xi, the four of them saw Gao Fei and said in unison: "Your subordinates pay their respects to Your Excellency!"

  Gao Fei said, "No need to be polite, you've come at just the right time. I was about to go look for you all. Last night, because it was already late and there was a celebratory banquet, I couldn't find an opportunity to ask about the specific situation in the city. All of you follow me inside!"

  Lu Heng and others said in unison: "Yes!"

  Everyone came together in the hall, Gao Fei sat at the top, pressed his hands down and said: "Sit down, there are no outsiders here, all are brothers of our own family!"

  Liao Hua, Pei Yuanshao and Bian Xi were overjoyed when Gao Feng referred to them as brothers. They sat down separately with Lu Bu and bowed in unison, saying: "Thank you, sir!"

  Gao Fei said: "From now on, you are all my confidants. In front of outsiders, I am your superior, but among ourselves, there is no need to be so polite."

  "Promise!"

  "Lu Heng, wasn't it you who was auditing the treasury of Qingyang Prefecture yesterday?" Gao Fei asked directly.

  Lu Heng nodded and said: "Yes, sir, it was under Liao Hua's help that I cleared up."

  "What about the inventory?" Gao Fei asked.

  Lu Xiangdao said: "It has been clearly counted, and there are a total of 1.36 million people in the city of Xiaoyang, with nearly 2 million stones of grain looted by Zhang Bao from various places, enough for the citizens to eat for a year. In addition, there are some gold, silver, and jewels in the treasury, which have been roughly counted, with approximately 1,000 catties of gold, 500 catties of silver, and other jewels worth about 5 million yuan."

  "Ah, quite a harvest indeed! But these things must be carefully managed, especially the grain. It should be distributed door-to-door, allowing them to return to their land. After such a great upheaval, the land outside the city is barren everywhere. If this continues, where will we get our food from? As for those gold and silver, take out some to reward the soldiers who have made contributions in battle, and put the rest away for now."

  Lu Hengdao: "Understood!"

  "Liao Hua, Pei Yuan Shao, Bian Xi, the three of you will stay in the army from now on. From today onwards, the three of you are my generals under my command. As long as you follow me, benefits will not be lacking for you. Not only can you wash away the traitor's name that has been weighing on your shoulders, but you can also continue to build merit and achievements."

  Liao Hua, Pei Yuanshao and Bian Xi all replied in unison: "Thank you for your kindness, sir. We will definitely follow you faithfully to the death."

  Gao Fei said, "Well, from now on I won't let you down, and I hope you won't let me down either! Alright, Pei Yuanshao and Bian Xi, the two of you go to Fei An's place and get three sets of official army uniforms. Change out of those clothes you're wearing. Liao Hua and Lu Heng, stay behind, I have something to discuss with you."

  "No! Withdraw!" Pei Yuanshao and Bian Xi slowly backed out of the great hall.

  "Thanks to your help, I was able to take down Xiangyang without breaking a sweat. I'm deeply grateful to you. For now, let's have you serve as a military marquis under me. Once I've written and sent the report of our victory to the imperial court, they will surely reward us with titles and positions. Then, I'll promote you again." Gao Fei walked over to Liao Hua's side, patted his shoulder lightly to show his appreciation, and said slowly.

  Liao Hua hastily stood up and bowed, saying: "Thank you, sir, for your kindness. Since I have surrendered to you and you treat me as a trusted aide, I have no regrets left. Whether it's a high or low official position, it doesn't matter to me. As long as I can follow you, sir, I am content."

  "That's enough, I won't mistreat any of my subordinates. I see that you're clever and have a bit of refinement in your speech, you must have read books before?" Gao Fei said with a smile.

  Liao Huaidao: "I've read it, I'm from Xiangyang, and when I was young, I studied for a few years."

  "So you can write?"

  "I can write, but the words I write are not good enough, and I'm afraid that if I show them to adults, they will laugh at me."

  "It doesn't matter, as long as it can be written." Gaofei smiled and turned to Lu Heng, "Is there paper and pen in the army?"

  Lu Hengdao said: "Yes, sir, are you going to write a dispatch?"

  He nodded, seeing that Lu Heng could always guess his meaning, but never overstepped his authority. Compared to Fei An, Lu Heng seemed more stable and steady, which was also the difference in quality between the two people. Relatively speaking, he preferred Lu Heng. Although Fei An was also a clever person, sometimes he was too clever for his own good, and such people often made mistakes at critical moments. Nevertheless, since there were very few people who truly cared about him, he had to make do with using Fei An, and had already given him a preventive warning, so at least in the short term, he wouldn't have to worry again.

  "Wait here for a moment, sir, I'll go and come right back!"

  Lu Heng's voice had just fallen when he ran out, and when he came back again, his hands were filled with pen, ink, paper, and inkstone. He walked straight to a desk in the main hall, put down the pen, ink, paper, and inkstone on the desk, rolled up his sleeves, personally ground the ink, and spread out a rough sheet of paper. Then he dipped the brush in the ink and held it in his hand, saying to Gao Fei: "Sir, please take the brush!"

  Gao Fei was taken aback for a moment. He wouldn't know how to write brush calligraphy. The reason he kept Liao Hua around was that he wanted to use his hand to write the urgent report. He waved his hand and smiled, saying to Lu Heng: "Give it to Liao Hua, I'll have him write it!"

  Liao Hua was also shocked and exclaimed: "Me? How can I, a subordinate, take the place of Master in writing?"

  "What's wrong with that? I told you to write it!"

  Lu Heng slightly turned his body and handed the brush to Liao Hua, saying: "The master's words are orders, let's do it!"

  Liao Hua took the brush with a trembling hand and sighed: "It's been a long time since I've written, I'm afraid it will be awkward. Moreover, this is an urgent report, which needs to be presented to the imperial court. I'm afraid my handwriting will be particularly sloppy..."

  "Alright, alright, an ugly daughter-in-law will still have to meet her parents-in-law eventually. I'll just make do with writing it. The scholars in the imperial court must also know that our martial artists' handwriting can't be that good! Don't worry about it!"

  Liao Hua hesitated for a moment and said, "Sir, I heard that Liu Bei was once the student of Zhonglang General Lu, he must have written excellent calligraphy, why not..."

  "Hmm!" Lu Heng cleared his throat softly and reached out to tug at Liao Hua's sleeve, interrupting what he was about to say.

  Liao Hua seemed to have sensed something, and hastily changed his tone, immediately saying: "Your Excellency's orders are not to be disobeyed, please instruct me orally, I will take up my brush and write!"

  Gao Fei naturally knew that Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei could all write, but he didn't want any of the three to know about the urgent report. Seeing Liao Hua nod in agreement, he smiled slightly and, imitating the classical language of ancient times, spoke in a dignified and proper tone, listing the names of Zhao Yun, Lu Xiang, Zhou Cang, Guan Yu, Liao Hua, Pei Yuan Shao, Bian Xi, Fei An, and Xiahou Lan as meritorious generals who had killed enemies and cut down commanders. However, he did not include the names of Liu Bei, Guan Yu, or Zhang Fei in the list. As he spoke, Liao Hua wrote, producing characters that were not as poor as Gao Fei had imagined, but rather neat and square, resembling Han Dynasty clerical script from a calligraphic perspective.

  When Liao Hua finished writing the last word, he put down his pen and blew a mouthful of air onto the paper. He then carefully reviewed it again, didn't find any typos, and bowed to Gao Fei: "Sir, I've finished writing it. Please review it. However..."

  "It doesn't matter if I say it!" Gao Fei heard the doubt in Liao Hua's words and said loudly.

  Liao Hua said: "Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei have all made significant contributions. Are you really determined to conceal their achievements and not report them?"

  "How dare you!" Lu Heng immediately shouted loudly, "Does the adult need your guidance on what to do?"

  "I deserve to die, I shouldn't have spoken out of turn, please punish me, Your Honor!" Liao Hua hastily knelt on the ground and knocked his head.

  Gao Fei personally helped Liao Hua up, smiling and saying: "Don't blame Lu Heng, he's also thinking of me. But I think you should understand the meaning behind my actions. Liu Bei is absolutely not a person who will be content with being under others for long. However, he and his two sworn brothers each have their own strengths. If the imperial court were to reward them and make them county magistrates or prefects, Liu Bei would inevitably leave me. I cherish talent and don't want them to leave me, so I had no choice but to resort to this tactic. Can you understand my painstaking efforts?"

  Liao Hua nodded heavily and replied: "I understand, I guarantee that I will keep this matter confidential and absolutely not leak it out."

  Gao Fei smiled and said, "Hmph, you can understand the pros and cons of this matter, it's not in vain that I regard you as my confidant."

  "If a superior can be open and honest with their subordinates, it means that the superior has already placed great trust in them. If the superior treats their subordinates with such kindness, how could they not be loyal to the superior?" Liao Hua said with a bow.

  Gao Fei smiled and showed a satisfied smile, turning his head to Lu Heng: "Get the report ready, send it to Luoyang with a fast horse."

  Lu Heng hesitated for a moment, raised his eyelids and looked at Gao Fei, asking: "Sir, aren't you going through Zhong Lang Jiang?"

  Gao Feng said, "If we have to go through Lu Zhi, I'm afraid our merits will be greatly reduced, and the great merit will only fall under Lu Zhi's name. The reason why I want to lead the army alone outside is to get out from under Lu Zhi's hands and no longer appear as a deputy general."

  Lu Heng smiled and said: "Your Excellency is wise, I admire you. However, I think this good news should be sent out a few days later."

  "Why is that?" Gaofei asked curiously.

  Lu Hengdao said: "Even if the express report reaches the imperial court, it is not necessarily possible to obtain a generous reward. The officials in the court all have to go through the ten attendants, and without giving them certain benefits, even with such great merit as yours, at most you will only get a county lieutenant. I heard that Huangmen Shilang Zuo Feng replaced Your Majesty on an inspection tour of Hebei, and he must have arrived at General Lu's army by now. If you can seize this opportunity well, perhaps you can obtain a high-ranking official position."

  Gao Fei smiled and said, "Yes, you're right. Let's do it your way. With Lu Zhi's character, he will definitely not give any benefits to Zuo Feng. This way, I can benefit from it. Send this express report to Guangzong. Once Xiquyang is pacified, Lu Zhi will surely bring Zuo Feng here for a tour of inspection and to show off his achievements. Liao Hua, go and take out half of the gold and silver from the treasury. High officials and rich rewards are all dependent on this opportunity."

  "Yes! Understood!"

  (By the way: Zhang Fei's character, according to historical scholars' verification, his calligraphy was also unparalleled in this era. He wasn't the black-faced and rough-tempered person in the novel, but a fair-skinned, jade-like faced, elegant and refined handsome young man. Of course, everyone has already gotten used to Zhang Fei's deeply ingrained appearance and temperament. If I were to create an alternative version, I estimate many bricks would be thrown at me, so I'll just go with the flow and continue with the deeply ingrained image of Zhang Fei from the novel.)