Chapter 64

Guo Jia's eyes flashed with a glint of intelligence, which quickly disappeared. He said with a touch of self-mockery, "Since Brother Liu wants to recruit the talented scholars of Yingchuan, what brings you to us? We are just two vulgar men who spend our days drinking and living for the moment."

"Ha ha, everyone knows that most of the talented scholars of Yingchuan come from noble families, like Xun Yu, who is called a wise advisor by Master Xun. However, what few know is that Guo Jia is a born genius. And Xi Zhong, also known as Wang Zuo, is even more talented than Xun Yu," Liu Yao said with a hearty laugh.

Upon hearing this, the two men felt a surge of excitement. They indeed had talent, but in this era, what mattered was not one's abilities but one's family background. In the Yingchuan Academy, only Xun Yu was willing to associate with them; the others avoided them at all costs.

"Brother Liu flatters us," Xi Zhong said with a hint of gratitude. "Since Brother Liu knows Xun Yu's talent, why not recruit him?"

Guo Jia also looked at Liu Yao with curiosity, eager to hear his response.

"Tell me, what do you two think of the noble families?" Liu Yao did not directly answer Xi Zhong's question.

"The noble families are indeed a disgrace," Xi Zhong said with a touch of helplessness.

Liu Yao laughed disdainfully and said angrily, "Zhong, you are really giving those noble families face. To me, all the noble families are parasites, the root cause of the decline of our great Han. If it weren't for them, the world wouldn't be in such a state. If it weren't for them, there wouldn't be the Yellow Turban Rebellion. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't have to struggle alone in Youzhou to build up my power, hoping to one day reclaim the power that belongs to our great Han from the hands of the noble families." Liu Yao spoke from the heart.

Upon hearing Liu Yao's words, the two men were shocked. They never imagined that at the age of twelve, Liu Yao had gone to the cold and harsh Youzhou to save the Han and restore its former glory. They were also deeply moved by Liu Yao's honesty and trust in them.

"Is that why you don't recruit Xun Yu? The Xun family is not like those noble families," Guo Jia said casually. After all, among all the noble families in Yingchuan, only the Xun family had a good reputation and could be considered friends with them.

Liu Yao nodded and said, "That's true. I know the Xun family has a good reputation and that Xun Yu is loyal to the Han. But unfortunately, he is also loyal to his family."

"My future edicts will certainly conflict with the interests of the noble families. Even if I could recruit Xun Yu, I can't guarantee that he won't betray me for his family. I can't take that risk; it concerns the lives of all my followers. Besides, do you two think I still have a good reputation among the noble families?" Liu Yao said with a bitter smile.

"Um." For a moment, the two men were speechless. From their observations at the Yingchuan Academy, almost no noble family had a good opinion of Liu Yao.

Liu Yao looked at the two men and bowed, saying, "The noble families will never serve me. I came to Yingchuan for the two of you. I wonder if I, Liu Yao, have the honor of receiving your assistance."

"I have one more question for Brother Liu. If you can satisfy me, I will join your ranks," Xi Zhong said with a frown.

"Zhong, please ask," Liu Yao said casually.

Xi Zhong asked, "I want to know if the news that you killed the head of the Zheng family and the county magistrate Zhang without cause, and then sent troops to exterminate the entire family, is true?"

"Ha ha. Do you believe it?" Liu Yao said with a smile.

"No," Xi Zhong shook his head and said, "But I want to hear it from your own mouth."

"Alright, I did kill Zheng Jian and the county magistrate Zhang, but not without cause. I won't go into the details of what the Zheng family has done over the years. The important thing is that after I revealed my identity, they dared to attack me, which is a capital offense," Liu Yao said angrily.

Xi Zhong breathed a sigh of relief, at least Liu Yao was not a man who killed without cause.

"But I did send troops to exterminate their entire family," Liu Yao continued.

"You... You killed them, that's fine, but why did you kill their families? Don't you know they were innocent?" Xi Zhong stood up in a rage, pointing at Liu Yao and shouting, "You killed them, and now you kill their families? Don't you know they were innocent?"

Liu Yao shrugged indifferently, "The county magistrate Zhang had no family. But you can see from Zheng Jian's lawless behavior what kind of people his family were. They were all evil-doers. Keeping them alive would just waste food. Besides, I understand the principle of cutting off the root. I don't want to deal with someone coming to seek revenge later, even though I'm not afraid of these small fry, I don't want the trouble."

"You, you, you." Xi Zhong was so angry he couldn't speak. "Does that mean if we don't join you today, we will die too?"

"Ha ha." Liu Yao just smiled, but his meaning was clear.

But before Xi Zhong could say more, Guo Jia's eyes flashed with intelligence, and he knelt down, "Jia pays respects to my lord."

Liu Yao was waiting to argue with Xi Zhong, but he was pleasantly surprised when Guo Jia agreed so quickly. He quickly helped Guo Jia up, "Fengxiao, please get up. I have been waiting for this day for a long time."

"You, Fengxiao, what are you doing? When did you become so spineless? I am ashamed to be associated with you," Xi Zhong said, thinking Guo Jia had agreed out of fear of Liu Yao. He turned his back on Guo Jia and ignored him.

Guo Jia, who had known Xi Zhong for many years, knew exactly what he was thinking. He smiled and said, "Zhong, when have you ever seen me, Guo Jia, do anything spineless?"

"Huh!!" Xi Zhong was so angry he couldn't think straight. Based on his understanding of Guo Jia, he was not a coward. He pointed at Liu Yao and said, "Then why did you agree to join him?"

"Because my lord is a worthy ruler to serve," Guo Jia said firmly.

Xi Zhong was so angry his nose almost twisted, "A man who kills innocents is a worthy ruler? I, Xi Zhong, cannot accept that." Although Xi Zhong was a wise advisor, he was not as good at reading people as Guo Jia.

Guo Jia smiled and said, "First, my lord is honest. He told us such important matters on our first meeting, showing that he trusts his people. Second, my lord has great ambition, evident from his desire to restore the declining Han. Third, my lord is benevolent to his people. Everyone knows that under his rule, Youzhou has become prosperous, even rivaling the rich Ji Province."

"Fourth, my lord is ruthless. He eliminates his enemies without hesitation to avoid future troubles. As the saying goes, a merciful person cannot lead an army, and a righteous person cannot manage wealth. Fifth, my lord has the strength. He defeated the Wuhuan and the Yellow Turbans of Yingchuan, showing the strength of his followers. A man with such powerful followers must have some ability."