"No problem!"
Li Xiuning, having successfully bluffed her way through, turned and left with a cheerful mood.
She wasn't sure if she had actually said it or not.
But that didn't matter.
What mattered was that her lord hadn't blamed her for this matter.
That was very important!
Not long after Li Xiuning left, a eunuch, led by a personal guard, entered with trembling steps.
"Your humble servant, your humble servant… greets the Governor!"
"Mmm~!"
Qin Feng raised an eyebrow at this and a smile flickered across his face.
It seemed Zuo Feng was quite reliable after all.
A mere two thousand taels of gold!
He could get that by eliminating a couple of aristocratic families.
But the title of Governor, let alone Provincial Governor, was quite rare.
The Great Han now was not the Great Han of a few years later.
Back then, any Tom, Dick, or Harry would dare to carve out their own territory and proclaim themselves emperor.
Try it now?
Without tens of thousands of troops under your command, the Great Han would teach you a lesson in no time.
Even the once-powerful Yellow Turban Rebellion, weren't they either dead or scattered?
It could be said,
As long as Emperor Ling lived, this Great Han could continue to linger on.
Thinking of this,
Qin Feng did not treat the eunuch too harshly. He gestured for him to sit on the side and asked with a smile:
"What? Didn't Duke Zuo come this time?"
"This…"
The eunuch's face twisted in misery. He thought to himself that if he had a choice, he wouldn't want to come!
But remembering Zuo Feng's warning before he left, the eunuch braced himself and said:
"Governor, Duke Zuo caught a cold a few days ago and is not fit for long journeys."
"I see!"
Qin Feng nodded noncommittally and did not press further.
"May I ask the purpose of the eunuch's visit this time?"
"Ah? Oh, oh…"
The eunuch finally snapped back to attention and quickly took out the imperial decree from his sleeve.
"Reporting to the Governor, this is an imperial decree from His Majesty, enfeoffing you as the Governor of You Province."
"Bring it here!"
"Yes!"
The eunuch didn't dare to retort. He handed over the imperial decree with both hands.
As for reading it out?
Read it for what?
Even Zuo Feng feared this person like a venomous scorpion; how dare he, a mere eunuch, be presumptuous here?
After all, this person was a notorious rebel!
Even with the slightest possibility, he wouldn't have wanted to make this trip.
Didn't he arrive more than half a month ago? Except for the initial visit, he had been waiting in the inn to be summoned?
This was unimaginable in the past!
To have them read out decrees?
Even if the recipient was a high-ranking minister, wouldn't they still respectfully burn incense, bathe, and then kneel before them motionlessly?
Now?
It was good enough to be alive!
Beside him,
Qin Feng was unaware of the eunuch's internal monologue.
After a casual glance at the imperial decree, he tossed it aside.
He still couldn't understand it!
Fortunately,
From the eunuch's previous address, he could guess roughly what it said.
Therefore,
Qin Feng, who had just been promoted to Governor of a province, was in a very good mood.
In contrast,
Liu Bei, in Guangyang Commandery, was feeling rather agitated at this moment.
Or rather, anxious!
What worried a commandery governor the most?
Refugees everywhere?
Bandit uprisings?
No!
Neither!
The most worrying thing for a commandery governor was that his subordinates didn't take him seriously.
What was a commandery governor?
A mini-emperor!
Not only did he hold both military and political power, but who among the nearly one million people in his jurisdiction dared to disobey?
Especially for commandery governors stationed on the border, they were almost like emperors in their own right.
And where did their power come from?
The emperor?
Of course, in peacetime.
Let alone the emperor, even a governor's words would be obeyed without question.
But now?
It was a time of war!
In times of war, what did commandery governors rely on to maintain their rule, or rather, the rule of the Great Han?
Of course, it was their subordinates!
If their subordinates didn't listen to them at this time, what difference would there be between him and a useless person?
Absolutely none!
Orders not carried out,
No military power!
Even though he had prepared himself mentally, Liu Bei still felt incredibly stifled.
It wasn't that no one wanted to defect to him.
Those aristocratic families who had been toyed with by Qin Feng would have loved to kill Qin Feng.
But no one dared!
At least,
Until Qin Feng and the Wuhuan tribes decided who was the victor, no one dared to make a move.
Those bloody corpses were a stark warning.
They didn't want to wake up one morning to find the Wuhuan rebels at their doorstep.
Therefore,
Liu Bei, who had been in office for over ten days, spent his days reading or wandering the streets.
One day,
As soon as he stepped out of his house, Liu Bei was stunned into stillness by a piece of news.
"The First Army?"
"One hundred thousand troops?"
"Yue Fei, who came to You Province with me, became the commander of this army?"
"And my second and third brothers became deputy commanders?"
"This, this, this…"
"Pfft~!"
Overwhelmed by anger, Liu Bei could no longer hold back and a mouthful of bright red blood spurted out.
How could this be?
How could this be?!
It was one thing to have his second and third brothers snatched away, but why did even people they met on the road defect to him?
And…
Where did he get over a hundred thousand troops from? Were these people cabbages?
Back then,
Their brothers, having exhausted their family fortunes, could only gather five hundred able-bodied men.
But, but Qin Feng?
With armies of ten thousand, twenty thousand, and now directly a hundred thousand troops?
So infuriating!
Didn't this mean that Liu Bei's hope for revenge in this lifetime was dashed?
Heaven was blind!
Just as Liu Bei was lamenting his fate, several cavalrymen clad in black clothes and black armor galloped towards him.
"This, this is…"
Startled by the sound of hooves, Liu Bei looked at the familiar black clothes and black armor, and his pupils constricted slightly.
"Governor Liu~!"
Perhaps having seen Liu Bei before, the black-armored cavalry surrounded him immediately upon seeing him.
"My Lord has ordered that Governor Liu be invited to his manor for a discussion~!"
"I, that…"
Liu Bei subconsciously opened his mouth, wanting to find an excuse to refuse directly.
Unfortunately,
Before he could finish speaking, several black-armored cavalrymen lifted him onto a warhorse.
"Forget it, forget it…"
"I won't stoop to their level!"
Taking a deep breath, Liu Bei forcibly suppressed the urge to break free.
Since Qin Feng sent people to fetch him in public, it meant he had no intention of killing him.
He might as well go and see what this was all about!
After some self-consolation, Liu Bei, feeling slightly calmer, cautiously inquired:
"Esteemed, esteemed soldier, may I ask why my Lord is seeking an audience with me?"
"Don't know!"
Ignoring Liu Bei's attempt to ingratiate himself, the black-armored cavalry shook their heads crisply.
"Governor Liu, you'll know when you get there. It won't be anything good anyway!"
"Uh…"
Liu Bei's face stiffened. He didn't know how to respond.
What kind of remark was that?
What did he mean "it won't be anything good"?
Although I know you're speaking the truth, couldn't you be a little more tactful?
Fortunately,
His remaining sanity made Liu Bei swallow the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
Otherwise, the consequences would have been truly dire.