Chapter 82

......

Liu Ye's arrival was very formal. He first sent a letter of introduction, then had the Imperial Clan Office as a witness, and only then joined Liu Bei's forces. It's said that with such a method of joining, one wouldn't dare to betray later, as it would be too embarrassing. Historically, Liu Ye's move to Cao Cao was entirely due to a lack of hope, but now, with hope, he naturally dared to take a gamble.

Chen Xi was also very familiar with Liu Ye and Man Chong. These two were overshadowed by the five great strategists of the Cao clan, but their abilities were not to be underestimated. Moreover, they were two extremes: Liu Ye could speak the language of people when he met people and the language of ghosts when he met ghosts, while Man Chong was a cold and stern official, perfectly complementing each other in personality.

Liu Bei was very excited about the joining of the Han imperial clan. After so long, he finally had a member of the Liu family recognize him and be willing to work with him. And this person was none other than Liu Ziyang of Huainan, known as a talent capable of assisting the world.

Regarding the arrangements for these two, under Chen Xi's suggestion, Man Chong was assigned to handle laws and governance. This man was a stern official throughout his life, and when he worked for Cao Cao, he dared to arrest Cao Hong when he committed a crime. As for the relatives of the aristocratic families who committed crimes, he was even more ruthless. When Yang Biao, the head of the Yang family, who had three generations of high officials, committed a crime, he was arrested without hesitation!

However, although Man Chong enforced the law strictly, he did not abuse private punishments. He followed the law as it was written. In fact, Chen Xi had always wanted to see how Man Chong would handle it if Liu Ye committed a crime...

Therefore, Chen Xi calmly told Liu Bei that Man Chong was fair and incorruptible, suitable for handling laws, so Liu Bei assigned Man Chong to handle laws and governance. Just as Mount Tai was starting to improve, some corrupt officials began to make money. If it weren't for Man Chong, Chen Xi would have had to handle the rectification himself...

As for Liu Ye, Chen Xi arranged for him to work with Lu Su on administrative affairs. Lu Su was skilled in assessing the current situation and predicting future developments, and he could make decisive decisions when the situation was chaotic. Liu Ye, on the other hand, was skilled in predicting future trends and strategizing, but the most frustrating thing was that he could come up with a bunch of strategies he couldn't choose between, leaving him at a loss.

In short, Liu Ye was very talented. He was not short of brilliant ideas or ingenious strategies, and his vision was excellent. One could say he possessed all the essential qualities of a top strategist, yet he never became a top advisor.

The reason was that Liu Ye always outsmarted himself. He could think of strategies but didn't know which to use, getting entangled in his own plans and ultimately watching others take the lead. In other words, his intelligence was not lacking, but his judgment was poor.

When Chen Xi handed Liu Ye over to Lu Su, he told Lu Su, "Don't look at Liu Ye being older than you; treat him like a junior. If Liu Ye starts thinking about whether to step with his left foot or right foot, tell him to hop."

At first, Lu Su didn't understand what Chen Xi meant, but after working with Liu Ye for a few days, he understood. Liu Ye's intelligence was sufficient, and his strategies and policies were definitely above average. However, he had a habit of thinking about problems from multiple angles, which led to a plethora of solutions, and he would be at a loss when faced with so many options.

There is no perfect solution in this world, especially when a bunch of solutions are laid out, each with its pros and cons. Choosing the right one was not something Liu Ye could do. This is where Lu Su came in. He had good judgment and vision and didn't seek the best but chose a suitable one, solving problems in thirty seconds...

Thus, Liu Ye and Lu Su worked well together. Liu Ye handled the complicated administrative affairs, came up with a bunch of solutions, and Lu Su selected the needed ones, repeating the process. This freed up Chen Xi...

Historically, Liu Ye was in a similar situation in Cao Cao's camp, but Cao Cao could discern the strategies he needed. In contrast, Liu Bei was far behind. When Liu Ye presented a bunch of solutions, Liu Bei would be overwhelmed.

With nothing to do, Chen Xi could only stay in the administrative hall and watch the performance of Lu Su, Liu Ye, and Sun Qian, who had just been transferred from Zheng Kanggong through a ten-thousand-word letter. Originally, Zheng Kanggong planned to recommend Sun Qian to Xu Province, but the ten-thousand-word letter directly transferred him to Liu Bei, to the delight of both parties.

As for Fa Zheng, he was being taught by Guo Jia, who had already gone to inspect the situation in Qing Province. He had devised a plan that, if successful, could eliminate a million Yellow Turbans and a large part of Qing Province next year, so he was enjoying a paid trip.

"Where is Bo Ning?" Chen Xi, having finished the winter administrative plan and the spring plan for the next year, casually brought up a topic while looking at the few people in the administrative hall.

"Bo Ning is arresting people," Liu Ye said without looking up. "He's been interrogating many corrupt officials recently and found some loopholes in the law. He's preparing to compile new laws, but I'm not sure if they will be approved..." Liu Ye looked a bit dejected. Even with his help as a member of the Han imperial clan, he couldn't guarantee that the emperor would approve the laws compiled by Man Chong, as changing the law would touch too many interests.

"Oh, compiling laws, that's good. Let Bo Ning compile them and carve them on stone tablets. We'll try them out in Mount Tai," Chen Xi said nonchalantly.

"Ah?" Lu Su, Liu Ye, Sun Qian, and Jian Yong all looked at Chen Xi in shock.

"It's a trial, not an implementation. The Chancellor has the authority to trial any method beneficial to the governance of the state within his jurisdiction," Chen Xi said casually. "And the law states that the Chancellor is equivalent to a Prefect, so..."

Lu Su and Liu Ye were dumbfounded. This was possible. Upon further consideration of Han law, it was indeed stipulated that the Chancellor had the authority to trial any method beneficial to the governance of the state within his jurisdiction. Since the Chancellor was equivalent to a Prefect, this meant that a Prefect had the authority to trial any method beneficial to the governance of the prefecture. With Chen Xi's approval, Man Chong could trial his compiled laws in Mount Tai...

"Isn't this a bit too much..." Sun Qian said uncomfortably, having always studied Confucian principles, he naturally felt this was exploiting a loophole.

"I'm just following the law of the state," Chen Xi shrugged. "It's so boring. You guys continue handling the administrative affairs. I'll go check on the recruitment platform. So far, most of the recruits are clerks. When will we get someone on the level of Zijing, or even Fengxiao?"

Chen Xi sighed and sneaked away. He was tired of staying in the administrative hall. The Han law was so strict that one couldn't leave until the time was up, even if they were sick, they had to lie inside.

ps: Fellow readers, I am Fentu Huangcao. I recommend a free novel app that supports novel downloads, audiobooks, zero ads, and multiple reading modes. Please follow the WeChat public account: dazhuzaiyuedu (long press to copy). Fellow readers, follow us now!