Chapter 2311 - 2051: Sincere Invitation

Taishi Ci smiled, not saying much, only telling Cai Mao to make a quick trip. In fact, Taishi Ci did not hold much hope for how many people Cai Mao could bring back from Jingxiang. Sun Ce’s civil officials were no joke; it didn’t matter how many Cai Mao could bring back.

The important thing was to give Cai Mao an opportunity to legitimately and legally build up his own legion, to incorporate it as part of the navy and truly strive for this group.

Losing to the Kushan wasn’t a big deal; the size of the Great Han Empire stood there. This level of loss, not to mention once, could be endured even ten times over. It’s just that with the habits of the Central Plains people, losing meant they had to fight back.

After handling all matters concerning the navy, Taishi Ci took some of his trusted aides back to Ye City to report. There were indeed some things that needed to be accounted for, and the large quantities of captured goods also needed to be calculated into the national money exchange. However, this task could be handled by the Mi Family on their behalf.

In Yizhou, major merchants of the guild were actively constructing the road from Yizhou to Hanzhong. And Liu Zhang, who didn’t spend a cent, was still in a daze, unable to comprehend why he could gain a road out of thin air without doing anything.

But this didn’t matter. Liu Zhang generally wasted a few brain cells on such things that were hard for him to comprehend and then handed them over to his subordinates once he was certain he couldn’t understand. As a lord with rather poor abilities but a big heart, Liu Zhang delegated power thoroughly.

"Go, find Ziqiao for me." Upon receiving the news of Liu Bei’s military parade, Liu Zhang’s first reaction was to attend. After all, he had nothing going on, and he was very interested in this brother Liu Bei and really wanted to see the situation under Liu Bei’s rule to check if it rivaled the prosperity of his Yizhou.

Soon, Zhang Song appeared tired before Liu Zhang, wearing an expression that would annoy anyone, "Lord, what do you need from me?"

"I’m planning to go to Jizhou, to Ye City, to show support for my brother. Prepare a plan for me." Liu Zhang had seen through it; Yizhou would function just the same without him, and the capabilities of the people under his command were no mere boast.

"May I ask, what major event does Lord Grand Commandant Liu have to invite you?" Zhang Song was also quite busy lately. Figures like Zhang Su, Huang Quan, Wang Lei, and Cheng Ji hadn’t returned to Yizhou but were in the Indochina Peninsula suppressing small states, naturally leaving all matters for Zhang Song to handle.

This left Zhang Song to have no mind for anything else, constantly working and working again. He wanted to throw in the towel, but given the situation, if he did, Yizhou might very well come to a standstill in a few days.

This is the reason why Zhang Song’s clothes had become much looser not long after returning from Chang’an.

"My brother is planning a military parade in Ye City and sent a letter inviting me. I intend to take a trip. During that time, Yizhou will be left to you, Ziqiao, to manage in my stead," Liu Zhang said with a smile.

If it were in the past when he simply relied on Liu Yan’s will to inherit, Liu Zhang would not dare to do such a thing. But times have changed; Liu Zhang had achievements of his own. Even if he ignored Yizhou for a while, given his status and achievements, no one would dare covet the position of Governor of Yizhou.

Though Liu Zhang had a rather timid personality, he was not brainless. Anyone under his banner daring to move against his position would have only one road to destruction.

Thus, Liu Zhang was very comfortable handing over the power to Zhang Song, indicating that during the time he was away, Yizhou would be entrusted to him for management.

At that moment, Zhang Song was incredibly weary. If it were two years ago before resolving the matter of pacifying the Central South obstruction, and Liu Zhang dared to hand over power in Yizhou to him, he would undoubtedly have pretended to decline while inwardly ecstatic, hoping Liu Zhang wouldn’t return after leaving.

But now, Zhang Song was genuinely exhausted. The eating, drinking, excreting, and sleeping needs of the people of the Indochina Peninsula depended entirely on him in the rear to resolve. Additionally, he had to oversee large-scale infrastructure projects within Yizhou and manage the governmental affairs reported by the counties.

The displaced Southern Barbarians from the previous overturn also required resettlement, and adjustments needed to be made in the county official system. Zhang Song, who had served as Assistant Officer for so many years, expressed that this year was particularly exhausting.

However, despite the overall fatigue, Zhang Song felt surprisingly at ease. In short, Zhang Song had to handle all matters up and down Yizhou, stating that he didn’t feel like just an Assistant Officer anymore, but practically the Chief Governor of Yizhou, with everything needing his supervision and attention.

"Just go." Zhang Song said wearily, tugging at his mouth, "I’ll arrange the itinerary for you, and you can follow the route when the time comes."

"Ziqiao, aren’t you coming with me?" Liu Zhang asked perplexedly. Although Zhang Song’s appearance slightly marred the cityscape, Liu Zhang quite liked him due to his abilities. Especially after truly understanding the current situation in Yizhou, Liu Zhang’s respect for Zhang Song rose by three points.

After Liu Zhang uttered this sentence, he suddenly realized the other party’s eyes revealed a hint of an expression that looked at an idiot, and at that moment, Liu Zhang felt a little panic.

"I’m not going," Zhang Song said with difficulty, retracting his gaze from Liu Zhang before speaking softly. Go where? You, Liu Zhang, can travel around leisurely because I, Zhang Song, am supporting you from behind. Believe me, if I leave now, the entire Yizhou will fall into chaos.

Yizhou itself is as large as four or five northern provinces. Previously, we only had to manage Northern Yizhou, while the south was left to its own devices. We recently seized the opportunity to subdue Southern Yizhou and other Southern Barbarians. Whether we can fully pacify them depends on now.

Additionally, there are numerous tasks such as the construction of roads within Yizhou, the logistics of the army from the Indochina Peninsula, verifying the population of the southern counties, dispatching officials, and verifying land and mineral resources. All these miscellaneous tasks are currently being handled by Zhang Song alone.

Speaking of which, Zhang Song never realized he was so capable before. This time he truly saw it; even without Zhang Su, Huang Quan, Cheng Ji, or Li Hui in Yizhou, he could turn things around smoothly.

"Oh, then I’ll take General Yan," Liu Zhang coughed twice, not minding Zhang Song’s expression. He also realized he had asked a foolish question.

"General Yan has tasks too. There’s no need to bring him to Ye City. I’ll make arrangements for you later; I’ll have the procedures sent over," Zhang Song decisively refused. Yan Yan, you even think to take him away. Have you considered my feelings, Zhang Song? Without Yan Yan, if the southern barbarians in Yizhou rise again, who am I going to rely on to suppress them quickly?

Liu Zhang looked speechlessly at Zhang Song, feeling a bit embarrassed to be rejected twice. However, upon closer inspection of Zhang Song, he noticed that Zhang Song’s meticulously groomed hair was slightly frazzled, and beneath that unattractive face, Liu Zhang noticed dark circles and slightly swollen eyes.

As for Zhang Song, the only decent part about his appearance was his hair, which was previously groomed very smoothly. Now, due to excessive workload and stress, it was not as well-kept.

"Here, take a few lingzhi and make yourself some soup," Liu Zhang said.

"..." Zhang Song thought to himself, Liu Zhang, can’t you speak properly? My jumps in thought are severely hindered by fatigue, and I can’t keep up. His mind was somewhat slow, but Zhang Song still thanked Liu Zhang.

Seeing Zhang Song in such a state, Liu Zhang didn’t press further. He simply waved his hand, signaling Zhang Song to go rest. Once Zhang Song stepped out, he rubbed his eyes and went back to work.

"Go, check what Ziqiao has been up to recently?" Once Zhang Song left, Liu Zhang called someone to inquire, as he himself was enjoying good meals and restful nights.

"Lord, Assistant Officer Zhang has been managing affairs because Prefect Zhang, Assistant Officer Huang, Registrar Li, and others are sweeping the outer vassals in the south, leaving Assistant Officer Zhang to handle these duties alone in Yizhou," the attendant said, bowing.

Hearing this, Liu Zhang paused for a moment, awkwardly saying, "So I’m this leisurely because Ziqiao is working hard, right."

The attendant didn’t know how to respond and could only retreat silently.

"Go to the government treasury and bring some precious medicinal materials to Ziqiao," Liu Zhang said helplessly. This was all he could do for him, as Liu Zhang knew that his own involvement would only complicate matters further.

[Looks like I need to hire some help for Ziqiao, but where can I find people?] Liu Zhang pondered this problem as he sent the attendant away, then exited with his escort. Despite the full-scale development not yet commencing, Sichuan and Shu were now more bustling than before with the influx of commerce.

[Ah, Ziqiao has indeed done an excellent job. I can feel the prosperity exceeding what it was before.] Liu Zhang stood on the city wall, looking down at the pedestrians, clearly sensing a different atmosphere than before. He remained the same cowardly and incompetent person as always, yet he was confident in governing Yizhou better.

"Once this road is completed, it will directly connect to Hanzhong. I want to see how Zhang Lu tries to stop me. Hanzhong has been separated from Sichuan and Shu for many years; it should return to the hands of the Governor of Yizhou. This time, I will not rely on anyone; I will personally reclaim it!" Liu Zhang confidently declared as he looked at the road ahead.

Meanwhile, Shixie in Jiaozhou also received an invitation from Liu Bei. Although Shixie was the most low-profile among the provincial governors and regional inspectors and did not participate in the Northern Frontier War, he had sent substantial military supplies to the feudal lords engaged in the war.

It was because of this deed that Liu Bei extended an invitation to Shixie. Whether or not he came was not important; what mattered was giving Shixie face and treating him as a peer.

In this case, Liu Bei sent invitations to all the remaining feudal lords except Zhang Lu, whom Liu Bei did not regard. Moreover, Zhang Lu did not participate in the Northern Frontier War and showed no reaction; despite Hanzhong not being that far, it wasn’t impossible to reach even if the path was challenging.