After drawing up the list of A and B and setting the final ranking, Liu Jing planned to "appoint appointments according to his ability". The first one was Cui Jun, who won the first place. Liu Jing decided to worship him as the lieutenant of General Anyuan's mansion.

The rank of Zhonglang is 600 shi, and his responsibilities are to be the chief official and the staff advisor. There is no fixed number of people, usually ranging from two to four people.

The status of the Zhonglang in the current Anyuan General's Mansion is second only to the Military Advisor (Zhuge Liang), the Left and Right Chiefs (Liu Ba, Huan Jie), the Left and Right Sima (Pang Tong, Deng Zhi), and the East and West Cao Yu (Wang Can, Han Ji)

Waiting for seven people.

At present, there are two Zhonglangs in General Anyuan's Mansion. They are the former Zhonglang of Liu Biao, Han Song, a famous scholar from Nanyang, Dong Cao, a former Liu Biao, and Fu Xun, a famous scholar from Beidi.

Although Cui Jun is also somewhat famous, he seems a bit unworthy compared to the two of them. From this, it is not difficult to see how much Liu Jing values ​​Cui Jun.

The second person, Liu Zhen, was a man of great integrity and literary talent. Such a person was suitable to be kept by his side. Liu Jing planned to appoint him as chief clerk, and he would be responsible for confidential documents together with chief clerk Jiang Wan.

Although the chief clerk is only a small official of Baishi, he is a confidant. He can be said to have a humble but powerful position. In terms of power and position, he is no worse than a Zhonglang.

Next are Pei Hui and Xi Zhen. Both of them are elegant and good at talking. Liu Jing plans to let them serve as Yi Cao and Literary. Yi Cao is in charge of speech and literary affairs, which can give full play to the two

People's strengths.

Shi Tao and Yin Mo specialize in economics, are disciplined and observe etiquette, and can be a source of classics and encouragement for learning.

Liu Min, Pang Lin, Yang Yi and others who have military strategy talents can be recruited to join the army and serve as soldiers and horses.

The rest of the A subjects were also assigned to important positions, while the B subjects were sent to other places to serve as county magistrates.

In addition to the 101 people in subjects A and B, Liu Jing also asked his teacher Song Zhong to recommend ten candidates over fifty years old who were of good moral character but unfortunately failed to be selected, and awarded them one and a half official positions.

The Han Dynasty has always had a tradition of rewarding senior officials with official positions. After all, those people who have spent their whole lives studying knowledge but still achieve nothing are really pitiful.

Even though Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty was ignorant, greedy and despicable, and regarded wealth as his life, the princes, ministers, governors and governors all moved up the ranks based on goods. He also issued an edict to test more than 100 people over sixty years old in the Imperial Academy to fill the ranks of doctors.

, Prince Sheren, Wang Jialang, County Literary Officer, etc., without taking any money. This was the cleanest thing he had ever done in his life, which was stained with stains.

Liu Jing has already won hundreds of scholarships this time, and he is not short of ten places. Besides, he can also show his benevolence, so why not do it.

The list of subjects A and B was announced the next day. At this point, this vigorous and far-reaching imperial examination finally came to an end...

…………

In September, on the north bank of the Yellow River, Liyang.

In the main tent of Cao's army, Cao Cao was lying on the bed with his clothes on, his hands covering his forehead, his eyes slightly closed, and he kept moaning and lamenting.

In June, Cao Cao received the secret report that Yuan Shao was ill and passed away in Yecheng. He was overjoyed. Since Yuan Shao was dead, why should the world be worried?

Soon after, he heard that Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan brothers were at odds with each other and almost turned against each other. Cao Cao believed that the opportunity had come to pacify the north, so he stopped paying attention to the war in Jingzhou. In August, he led tens of thousands of infantry and cavalry to cross the Yellow River north and marched to Liyang.

Yuan Tan, who was stationed in Liyang, knew that it was difficult to resist Cao Cao's army, so he quickly asked Yuan Shang for help. Although Yuan Shang hated Yuan Tan deeply, he also knew that he was dying, so he had to lead his troops south to join Yuan Tan's army and fight Cao Cao on the bank of the Yellow River.

Most of Hebei's elite troops were lost in Guandu. Nowadays, Yuan's army was mostly new soldiers. In addition, due to the lack of sophisticated armor and the lack of popular support, they were naturally no match for Cao Cao. They lost consecutive battles and had to hide in the camp and hang up their exemption cards.

Taking advantage of his winning streak, Cao Cao then besieged Yuan Jun's camp, trying to defeat him in one fell swoop. Unexpectedly, he suffered a bloody blow. Yuan Jun might not be able to fight in the field, but he would have no problem defending the camp.

Cao Cao did not believe this evil, and sent troops to attack Yuan's camp several times, but without exception, they all ended in disastrous results.

Yuan Jun's camp, with its heavy troops and fortified walls, was like a hedgehog with nowhere to bite. Cao Cao could not think of any good solution for a while, and the war reached a stalemate.

Although Yuan Shang was young, he was far more difficult to deal with than Cao Cao imagined. While he defended Liyang, he ordered his brother Gao Gan, governor of Bingzhou, to join forces with the Southern Huns Shanyu Huchuquan to lead the Han-Hungarian coalition south to Hedong to open up a second battlefield.

The day before yesterday, Cao Cao received an urgent report from Xiahou Dun and Zhong Yao. He was so furious that he even had a headache. The severe pain made him restless and unable to sleep at night.

Cao Cao currently has no spare power to rescue Hedong. Even if he reluctantly mobilizes some troops and horses, it will be a drop in the bucket for Xiahou Dun and Zhong Yao.

Now we can only hope that Han Sui, Ma Teng and other generals in Guanzhong can send troops to help.

After all, among the generals in Guanzhong, Cheng Yin, Hou Xuan, Li Kan and others all came from Hedong, and the generals in Guanzhong have always relied on the salt and iron from Hedong. They will definitely not sit back and watch Gao Gan annex Hedong.

But even if Han Sui, Ma Teng and others are willing to send troops to help, it is still unknown whether they can stop the Gaogan and the Southern Huns coalition forces.

Han Sui and Ma Teng were fighting each other to death a few years ago, and Han Sui even killed Ma Teng's wife. It would be nice if they didn't stab Ma Teng in the back. How difficult it is for them to work together and fight against the enemy.

"Ming Gong, Xun Lingjun has an urgent message delivered..." Xu Chu reported loudly outside the tent.

Cao Cao was shocked. Xun Yu's letter must be important. At this time, he couldn't care less about his headache. He immediately sat up and ordered Xu Chu to send the letter in. He couldn't wait to open the envelope. When he saw it, he suddenly had a headache.

Even more powerful.

When Cao Cao heard the news that Liu Jing had captured Jiangling in early August, he couldn't help but exclaimed: "Liu Biao is in danger!"

Cao Cao was very clear about the importance of Jiangling to Jingzhou. He concluded that Liu Biao was unable to compete with Liu Jing. In addition, Liu Biao had previously sent envoys to pay tribute to express his surrender. Cao Cao once had the intention of sending troops to Miannan to help Liu Biao, and he made no secret of his feelings for Jingzhou.

The covetous heart.

However, as Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan brothers started to fight against each other, Cao Cao's plan to send troops to Hebei and go south to Jingzhou naturally came to nothing.

Although Cao Cao expected that Liu Biao was no match for Liu Jing, he would never have imagined that Liu Biao was defeated after only persisting for two months.

Who is Liu Biao? I believe no one in the world knows it better than Cao Cao. At that time, he was extremely ambitious and sent his troops to the south. As a result, he faced the coalition forces of Liu Biao and Zhang Xiu. After several battles, not only did he not gain any advantage, but he lost his troops and generals. His eldest son, Cao Ang, and his nephew

Cao Anmin and General Dian Wei both died in the rebellion. Thinking about it now, I still feel heartbroken and cannot let go.

Now Liu Biao's ally has been changed from Zhang Xiu to Liu Bei, who is "a talented man who wins the hearts of the people, is the enemy of thousands of people, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei is his minion". Liu Bei is regarded as a serious problem by Cao Cao. The combination of the two makes even Cao Cao fearful, and the result is unexpected

Can't stop Liu Jing from hitting with all his strength?!

What shocked Cao Cao even more was that during the war with Liu Biao and Liu Bei, Liu Jing still had enough power to deal with Zhang Jin, and he got rid of Zhang Jin cleanly in one battle, pretended to be the governor, and annexed the heart of Jiaozhou.

Reveal.

For several months, Yuan Shao died of illness and Liu Biao paid tribute. Cao Cao looked around the world and found that except for Han Sui and Ma Teng, they were all juniors. There was almost no one who could resist him. He thought that peace in the world was just around the corner.

Facts have proved that Cao Cao underestimated the heroes of the world, and now he was forced to do nothing by Yuan Shang, Yuan Tan, Gao Gan and other juniors.

Now that Cao Cao is blocked in Liyang, there is no hope of pacifying Hebei. Liu Jing has risen strongly in the south. He has defeated Zhang Jin in the south and defeated Liu Biao in the north. He is in Jingjiao and has hundreds of thousands of soldiers. He is eyeing the Central Plains. When he thinks about what he will do in the future,

Facing such a difficult opponent, Cao Cao felt like a thorn in his back, unable to sleep or eat well.

Cao Cao kept rubbing his temples to relieve his headache, but unfortunately it had little effect. He said to Xu Chu who was waiting aside: "Zhongkang, quickly recruit all the military advisers, offer wine, and come to discuss matters in the solitary tent."

"Promise." Xu Chu responded and went out to the tent.

Soon, Xun You, Guo Jia, Cheng Yu, Dong Zhao, Jia Xu and other advisers arrived one after another.

Cao Cao was suffering from head wind and was so upset that he really wasn't in the mood to speak, so he handed over the letter directly for them to read by themselves.

All the advisers were outstanding figures in the world, with extraordinary intelligence and endless plans. However, after reading the letter, they all showed surprise on their faces.

It's Liu Jing again! It seems that from the first time they heard Liu Jing's name, the latter has been constantly breaking through their inner evaluations.

It only took two short years for this tycoon who came out of the market to go from one county to dominating two states in Jingjiao. His rise was so fast that even if he took Hebei by force, it would be nothing more than that.

Cao Cao, who had been silent all this time, finally broke the silence and sighed: "Now the north is undecided. Liu Zhongda has risen from the south again. The threat is even greater than that of Liu Biao and Liu Bei. What can we do?"

As Cao Cao's mastermind, Xun You first said: "When Liu Zhongda first settled in Jingzhou, he immediately sent an envoy to pay tribute. Although he only wanted to gain fame and stabilize Jingzhou, he may not be truly loyal to the country, but it can also be seen that he had no intention of collaborating with the country.

Ming Gong is in trouble, but the south has no worries for the time being."

Xun You glanced at Cao Cao and then said: "Ming Gong is responsible for the north. At the beginning, Yuan Shao united the people of the four states with a hundred thousand troops to invade the south. The momentum was so great that the world was shocked. Ming Gong made a journey of ten thousand to confront each other.

In Guandu, his troops were defeated but his spirit remained strong, he listened without confusion in times of danger, and he made decisions when the situation came up, so he defeated the strong with the weak, defeated Yuan Shao, and shocked China."

"Today's army is blocked in Liyang, but it is only a temporary difficulty. Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan are far less talented and wise than their father Yuan Shao, and they cannot get along with each other. They only reluctantly unite because of the intimidation of Duke Ming. As time goes by, there will be bad things. When it comes, it will be clear.

The Duke mobilized all his elite troops, divided them and attacked them, and took advantage of the victory to sweep across Hebei Province, like turning back the palm of his hand."

Xun You obviously wanted to repeat the story of the Battle of Guandu, and used the drag-and-drop technique against the enemy until the opponent changed, and then decided after a battle.

Guo Jia frowned deeply and spoke for the second time: "In the past, when Sun Ce roughly determined Jiangdong, he had the intention of attacking Xudu. Liu Jing may not have this intention. If he colludes with the Yuan family while I am waiting in the north and sends troops to Wan, Ye

, peeking into Xu Du, the consequences will be disastrous, Ming Gong must take precautions."

Guo Jia continued: "As the military advisor said, it is difficult for brothers Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan to get along with each other if they are evil, and if Feng Ji, Guo Tu, Xin Ping, etc. are instigated from them, they will surely turn against each other in the long run. However, brothers Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan are inseparable.

Afraid of the power of Ming Gonghu, if you rush, you will only force him to fight to the death, if you slow down, you will be in chaos. It is better to return to the army, prepare for Liu Jing in the south, and defend the senior officials in the west. Wait for the internal strife between Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan brothers to break out, and then send troops to Hebei.

Full credit.”

Cao Cao believed that what Xun You and Guo Jia said were reasonable, but he was more inclined to Xun You's suggestion.

You know, before he sent out the army, he had the intention of going down to Hebei in one fell swoop. However, his wish failed. He personally led tens of thousands of soldiers and horses across the river and fought fiercely for more than 20 days. Not only did he lose soldiers and generals, but he didn't even get an inch of land.

How could he be willing to go back in despair?

Cao Cao rejected Guo Jia's suggestion and said: "I was ordered by the country to supervise the six armies to fight against the rebels. The people of Hebei are eagerly waiting for the king's army. The traitor has not yet been crowned. If we just retreat, how can we convince people?"

Cao Cao insisted on not retreating, and then brought the topic to Liu Jing, "Liu Zhongda claimed in the letter that he had eliminated the traitor Liu Biao for the country. Liu Zhongda asked for credit for his subordinates in the letter, but did not mention a word about himself, but he could not ignore it.

"How do you think the court should reward you?"

Liu Biao sent an envoy to meet Cao Cao a few months ago to express his surrender and no longer be a traitor to the country. However, Liu Biao was dead and Cao Cao wanted to appease Liu Jing, so he was forced to admit his contribution to killing the traitor.

Jia Xujian said: "The rewards given by Ming Gong may be important in name but light in reality."

What does it mean to be important in name but light on real power? It means to give high-ranking officials the appearance of nobility without granting real power.

Cao Cao pondered for a while. Since he had the intention of appeasing Liu Jing, he had to reward him generously. "Liu Zhongda is currently General Anyuan and Marquis of Hanchang Ting. He has made great achievements this time. He can be worshiped as General Annan and granted the title of Hanchang County."

Hou."

General Anyuan is a general with a mixed title, while General Annan, although not as good as Liu Biao's General Zhennan, is still a general with a title, and he was promoted from Tinghou to county prince, and the rewards are not unimportant.

Liu Jing made a large number of requests for officials under his command, including recommending Pan Jun from Wuling as the governor of Jiaozhou, and Cao Cao approved all of them.

The reason why Cao Cao behaved so generously was because Liu Jing could completely ignore the imperial court and take up his own official position. Cao Cao did this many times before he welcomed the emperor.

Liu Jing's willingness to ask for orders from the imperial court is undoubtedly an attitude. As long as his own interests are not involved, Cao Cao will certainly not refuse it easily.

Cao Cao was not unprincipled in accommodating Liu Jing, and he was also ruthless in setting the nails. For example, he would definitely not hand over the post of governor of Jingzhou to Liu Jing.

Of course, even if Cao Cao appointed the governor of Jingzhou, he would not be able to go to Xiangyang to take up the post. He could only place the governorship in Wancheng, which is under his control. However, the governor is the nominal chief official of Jingzhou after all, and he can legitimately interfere in the affairs of Jingzhou, just like Liu Fuzhi, the governor of Yangzhou.

Yu Jiangdong.

Cao Cao asked his advisers: "Liu Biao is dead and there is a vacancy in Jingzhou. In your opinion, who can be the governor and the shepherd of the country to guard the southern territory?"

At this time, a candidate suddenly flashed in Xun You's mind, and he recommended to Cao Cao: "Wan Ling, Du (Xi) Zixu of Yingchuan came from a famous family, so he became the leader. He has served in various counties in Nanyang. He is familiar with Jing land and people, and he can be a good candidate for him.

Jingzhou Governor."

"What is particularly rare is that Du Zixu fled Changsha in his early years and met Liu Zhongda when he was young. The two formed a deep friendship. Liu Zhongda may not be happy when someone else becomes the governor of Jingzhou. If Du Zixu becomes the governor of Jingzhou, Liu Zhongda will definitely not

Oppose. With Du Zixu in the middle to mediate, the risk of conflict will be greatly reduced..."
Chapter completed!