In view of the current situation, Xun You made a suggestion to Wang Jing: "My lord, the overall situation of Yanzhou has been determined. For the sake of development, we should issue a decree to recruit talents and recruit them for our own use."

After suppressing the aristocratic families and powerful clans, they also need to be appeased and given some official appointments, which will help stabilize the situation in Yanzhou.

At the same time, since Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty established Confucianism as the only official doctrine, Confucianism has flourished throughout the world, and schools of thought are as numerous as the stars in the sky. Even though aristocratic families still monopolize knowledge, a large number of scholars from poor families have also emerged among the people. These people have no background or connections, and no matter how talented they are, it is difficult for them to succeed.

Xun You suggested that Wang Jing accept these people and give them a chance to come forward. These people came from humble beginnings and had no one to rely on, so naturally they could only rely on Wang Jing, like the moon surrounded by stars, to be used by him and driven by him.

"A decree to seek talents? Only the talents are selected?"

Wang Jing felt emotional, thinking that this was going to follow Boss Cao's path and leave Boss Cao with no way out.

Of course, not everyone can issue a decree to recruit talents. In fact, the person who initially wanted to "recruit talents" was none other than Dong Zhuo. But the result was that all the talents discovered by Dong Zhuo stood on the side of the anti-Dong alliance.

From this we can see that the same strategy, when used by different people, will have completely different effects.

If Wang Jing still insists on defending Luoyang, then the order to seek talents will be nothing but a joke, and few real talents will come to join him.

But now Wang Jing not only occupies the capital, but also breaks out of Hulao Pass, sweeps across Yanzhou, and dominates northern Henan. In this way, he is naturally qualified to open up new channels and recruit talents.

Especially the talents in Yanzhou and Yuzhou who are eager to stand out will not flock here.

Xun You and Guo Jia's eyes lit up after hearing this: "My lord's words are truly thought-provoking. The four words 'select only the talented' are even more wonderful. In just four words, they fully express the wise lord's thirst for talent."

Confucianism has its problems, but it is still an excellent management concept that can greatly ease social conflicts and reduce the operating costs of the system.

Wang Jing had been suppressing Confucianism before because the harm of orthodox Confucianism was too great.

Now that the Mohism and Taoism that he had improved have gained a firm foothold, physics disguised as Mohism and chemistry disguised as Taoism are also being promoted. Therefore, a conciliatory policy can be adopted towards those who study Confucianism.

A few days later, Wang Jing issued an order to seek talents in the name of General Wei of the Yanhan Emperor's court. When this order was issued, the whole world was shocked.

In particular, scholars from Yuzhou and Yanzhou praised Wang Jing as a "wise leader" and signed up enthusiastically, hoping to claim a position.

Many scholars who were originally dissatisfied with Wang Jing's suppression of Confucianism now changed their faces and rhetoric and began to desperately promote Wang Jing's bravery and governance skills, which surprised all the princes.

Confucius said it was Cheng Ren, and Mencius said it was Qi Yi.

It is said that scholars should have backbone, but the most spineless people in the world are often scholars.

The Confucian school was badly abused by Wang Jing before, and now if Wang Jing changes his attitude slightly, they will immediately change their schools without hesitation. This is human nature.

After the issuance of the Order to Seek Talents, Wang Jing recruited a large number of literate people who could read and write. These people could understand official documents on internal affairs. Although they were not talented enough and were at most second- or third-rate talents, they could at least ensure the transmission of government orders and the promotion of some laws.

Moreover, a person's talents can actually be accumulated as long as they are given enough space to grow.

With the addition of a large number of talents from poor families, the internal affairs team under Wang Jing has become much more substantial. At least it is not like before when there was no one available.

Xi Zhicai, who returned to Changyi to report on his work, earnestly suggested to Wang Jing: "My lord, at present, the local official positions in the counties and kingdoms of Yanzhou are still controlled by prominent families and powerful people. We should take our time to make plans. We can select the best among the talented people from humble backgrounds who have come to seek refuge, and send them to various places to serve as adjutants. On the one hand, they can supervise the administration, and on the other hand, they can familiarize themselves with the government affairs process and prepare for governing a region in the future."

"That's a good idea."

Wang Jing readily accepted this suggestion and immediately ordered people to start making arrangements.

At this moment, a secret guard suddenly came in and reported: "Sir, eight hundred miles, urgent!"

When Wang Jing heard this, his brows immediately frowned: "What happened!?"

"Xia Pi's Que Xuan has gathered several thousand people and proclaimed himself the Son of Heaven. Yesterday at twilight hour, he led his troops to attack Hua and Fei counties in Taishan Commandery, gathering tens of thousands of refugees. He is now heading straight for Rencheng."

This news was sent back from Mount Tai via carrier pigeon, an urgent military report.

"Rebellion is one thing, but calling yourself the Son of Heaven?"

Wang Jing clenched his fist and smashed it hard, breaking a large piece of the hardwood table top.

After pacifying Yanzhou, the war has never stopped for a moment. There are rebellions by powerful people inside and bandits from Taishan outside. Yanzhou, a place of four wars, is vulnerable on all sides. Not long ago, Wang Jing personally went to the Jibei Kingdom and strangled Huang An and his group of foreign rioters from Qingzhou in the area of ​​Lu County.

The battle was endless, which annoyed Wang Jing: "Come on, prepare the horses!"

The military situation was urgent, and Wang Jing knew that any spark of rebellion had to be extinguished as soon as possible to prevent the disaster from spreading to neighboring counties, otherwise it would be difficult to deal with.

Therefore, Wang Jing had just returned and he had to go into battle again. He had to rush to the Rencheng camp as soon as possible to quell the rebellion.

On the way, he met Gan Mei. She lowered her head, walked towards him in small steps, and stuffed a bright yellow talisman paper folded into a triangle into Wang Jing's hand: "This is the amulet that I asked for you, my Lord."

In just a few words, Gan Mei's snow-white cheeks turned red, and her shy look was particularly lovable.

Wang Jing smiled and patted her head: "You stay at home first, I'll be back soon."

Gan Mei nodded happily and said "hmm" slightly, but she didn't dare to look up at Wang Jing's eyes.

Ever since she was rescued by Wang Jing last time, her heart has been pinned on him, but she feels inferior because of her identity and dares not reveal her feelings.

The girl is in love, her feelings are as gentle as water.

It’s a pity that Wang Jing doesn’t have much time to deal with his children’s personal affairs, because at this moment he is responsible for the lives and deaths of millions of people.

"drive!"

Outside the governor's mansion, whips dropped and horses' hooves rose.

In the swirling smoke and dust, Wang Jing's disappearing figure was deeply imprinted in Gan Mei's heart. She silently prayed for her lover, hoping that he would be safe.

In the Rencheng camp, the atmosphere became tense due to the coming of war.

Outside the gate, the mighty commander Dian Wei and the prefect of Rencheng Cheng Yu, who had received the news, were all waiting outside the camp gate.

Soon, smoke and dust rolled up in the distance and the sound of horse hooves approached like thunder.

Dian Wei and Cheng Yu both recognized the figure at the front of the team. When they got closer, they immediately stepped forward and saluted: "Greetings, lord!"

"Jun Ming, Zhong De, please stand up quickly."

Wang Jing got off his horse, personally stepped forward to help the two men up, and then asked about the situation: "What is the current situation?"

Dian Wei was an expert in martial arts, but wisdom and strategy were not his strong point, so it was Cheng Yu who answered Wang Jing.

"My lord, Yu has sent out spies to find out the news. Que Xuan's troops have about 30,000 soldiers. Except for 2,000 of them who are armed to the teeth, the rest are just refugees, a mob and cannot withstand a single blow."

"Zhong De can stabilize a country with his literary skills and his military skills, so I naturally believe in your judgment. However, I am afraid there is something else going on. If the opponent is just Que Xuan, then it would be fine. I am afraid there is another mastermind behind him, fanning the flames in the dark, trying to ruin the overall situation of Yanzhou."

Wang Jing's eyes were burning, and he obviously realized that something was wrong.

Cheng Yu was also a first-rate counselor, so he was naturally unlikely to be fooled by the appearance of the matter. He immediately said to Wang Jing: "My lord, this matter is probably related to Tao Gongzu."

"An old man who refuses to die is a thief. I just taught this Tao Gongzu a lesson, but I didn't expect him to still be so unwilling to settle down."

Wang Jing obviously came to the same conclusion as Cheng Yu. There were not many suspects who could instigate Que Xuan to rebel, and Tao Qian was the person with the greatest motivation and ability to do this.

Yanzhou is adjacent to Xuzhou. Although Cheng Yu has been idle at home for many years, he has been observing the world's affairs from the perspective of sitting at home and is not unfamiliar with the situation in Xuzhou.

"My lord, Que means a noble family. This man calls himself the Son of Heaven, obviously wanting to fulfill the prophecy that 'the one who will replace the Han Dynasty will be Dangtu Gao'. I suspect that even his name is fake. Xia Pi is the largest city in Xuzhou, and Que Xuan started his career in Xia Pi, but he came to attack Mount Tai, and now he wants to seize Rencheng. What is his intention?"

Cheng Yu's meaning was very clear. He thought that Que Xuan's claiming to be the emperor was too much of a human manipulation.

The news that came back later also confirmed Cheng Yu's statement.

The spy left in Xuzhou sent back a secret report, saying that Tao Qian had joined forces with Que Xuan and was going to attack Yanzhou.

Although Tao Qian did not send troops directly, he provided weapons, food, and intelligence from behind. Otherwise, Hua County and Fei County in Taishan County would not have been captured so easily.

After Hua County and Fei County were captured, tens of thousands of people were looted and slaughtered, and were also forced to attack Rencheng.

Wang Jing understood that this was Tao Qian's revenge for the fall of Pengcheng and Xiapi. His eyes suddenly became extremely cold: "Tao Qian, this old man, really doesn't know how to live or die. Does he think that he can live in peace by just finding someone to take the blame?"

"Zhongde." "I am here."

"I order you to lead 8,000 troops to rush to Pingyi to stop the enemy's main force from advancing westward."

"Subordinates take orders!"

"Jun Ming."

"My subordinate is here."

"You lead 3,000 soldiers to assist Zhongde. Don't let the enemy cross the Wushui River."

"Subordinates take orders!"

Most of the Qingzhou soldiers in the Rencheng camp are still in training and scattered around to cultivate land, so Wang Jing can only mobilize more than 10,000 people at the moment.

In fact, the enemy is just a mob. It is not difficult to defeat them. What we should be afraid of is that these people do not fight head-on, but break up into small groups and engage in bandit activities.

Wang Jing thought about it. He had just gathered Chang Xi to go to Xuzhou to launch a surprise attack on Tao Qian. Unexpectedly, Tao Gusu Murong Qian retaliated against him and instigated Que Xuan to rebel.

In order to encircle and suppress Que Xuan, Wang Jing ordered Hua Xiong to send troops from Fenggao, march southward, and attack Fei County from both sides, so as to never let Que Xuan spread the war to places outside Taishan County.

At the same time, Taishi Ci was sent to lead 2,000 cavalry and 3,000 infantry to station in Pei County to monitor the movements of Xuzhou and imitate Tao Qian to take the opportunity to send people to harass.

Wang Jingze was in command at the Rencheng camp, with many brave generals under his command. In such a small situation, there was no need for him to fight on the battlefield in person.

After receiving the order, Cheng Yu and Dian Wei quickly gathered their troops and attacked the State of Lu.

Soon, Wang Jing received intelligence from Xuzhou again. The secret letter was sent by Zhang Kai. The letter mentioned that after Chang Xi and others defeated Cao Bao, they were soon defeated by Chen Deng.

Many of Chang Xi's troops died in the battle, and he and Wu Dun, Yin Li and others only escaped by chance and managed to keep their lives. Now they are wanted all over the world by Tao Qian, and their lives are very miserable.

Wang Jing thought about it and felt that the information had some value, so he sent someone to contact Chang Xi secretly.

Guo Jia happened to arrive in Rencheng, so he volunteered, "My lord, I am willing to go on a mission to Chang Xi on your behalf. I will explain the pros and cons to him and make him willing to serve you."

It is a good thing that subordinates are proactive in their work, but Wang Jing feels that Guo Jia is not very honest. He smiled and said, "Fengxiao, Chang Xi is unruly. In order to be on the safe side, I will send the elite troops of the secret guards to accompany you. By the way, according to the doctor Hua's medical advice, I will instruct the entourage not to drink in private."

Upon hearing this, Guo Jia immediately begged for mercy with a bitter face: "Ah, this is totally unnecessary."

"Well, it's settled then."

Wang Jing didn't care about that. In history, Guo Jia died young, and he didn't want this to happen again, so he attached great importance to Guo Jia's health.

Guo Jia had no choice but to accept it: "I understand, sir, it's a life of hard work, but it's fatal if there is no wine to drink."

A few days later, we arrived at Gonglai Mountain, which was formerly known as Fulai Mountain.

The originally quiet valley is now bustling with people.

Chang Xi was defeated by Chen Deng in Dongguan, and his main force was almost completely destroyed. He only escaped with a few dozen of his followers.

Along the way, Chang Xi gathered the defeated troops, regrouped, and finally stabilized his position at Gonglai Mountain by taking advantage of the geographical location.

But all the previous efforts were in vain. They lost their territory and money, and now they can't even go back to their hometown Mount Tai. A group of people gathered together, panic-stricken like dogs that have lost their homes.

In the Juyi Hall, Wu Dun and Yin Li glared at Chang Xi with unhappy expressions: "It was you who wanted to attack Xuzhou in the first place, but now we have to fall into this situation. What do you think we should do?"

After the failure of the attack on Xuzhou, both of them expressed their dissatisfaction with Chang Xi.

They were angry, and Chang Xi was even more angry. After being blamed, he yelled at the two men on the spot: "You two bastards, why didn't you oppose when we conquered Dongguan and enjoyed the good life? Money, food, women, which of them didn't you rob? Now you have the nerve to blame me. If you two weren't such losers, would we have lost to Chen Yuanlong?"

Chang Xi became furious whenever he thought of the defeats he had suffered with Chen Deng. When he thinks back on it now, he still feels heavy in his heart.

Chen Deng took advantage of the internal discord among the Taishan bandits and concentrated his forces to defeat them one by one. However, Wu Dun and Yin Li both watched Chang Xi die without rescuing him, which led to his ultimate failure.

That's why Chang Xi was so annoyed. It's not scary if the opponent is super-good, what's scary is if the teammates are stupid and hold them back.

However, Wu Dun and Yin Li were also dissatisfied: "What a joke! You call us trash, how can you be any better? Didn't you get beaten to a pulp by Chen Yuanlong? If you have the guts, just get angry at him, why are you trying to show off in front of us?"

The three were arguing when a soldier suddenly came to report: "Three masters, there is someone outside the village gate who wants to see you."

"Who?"

"This man calls himself Yingchuan Guo Fengxiao."

"Genius Guo Jia?"

"It turned out to be him!"

Chang Xi immediately ordered his subordinates excitedly: "What are you standing there for? Go and invite the person in!"

Soon, Guo Jia was invited to the gathering hall. He was dressed in gorgeous clothes and had an elegant and handsome temperament. He was a rare talent among men. Standing together with Chang Xi, Wu Dun and Yin Li, who were all ugly and distorted, he looked like a crane standing out among a flock of chickens.

Wu Dun and Yin Li were very upset: "Are you the genius Guo Jia?"

Guo Jia sighed and looked at him with disdain: "Wu Dun, Yin Li, has no one told you that it is very rude to call someone by their first name?"

"Shit, don't you call us by our first names, too?"

Wu Dun blew his beard and glared at Guo Jia.

Yin Li also looked displeased, and looked at Guo Jia with a ferocious look, as if he was thinking about where to strike.

Guo Jia said with contempt and ruthless ridicule: "There is no need for courtesy when treating trash."

"you wanna die!"

Wu Dun and Yin Li were both bandits, so they naturally could not stand Guo Jia's provocation. They stood up, put their hands on their knives, and looked at Guo Jia with murderous eyes.

Facing the two men's undisguised malice, Guo Jia sat still, not taking Wu Dun and Yin Li seriously at all: "You guys are already busy taking care of yourselves, and you still want to kill me? I'm very curious, do you two know how to write the word death?"

"Fuck, I've never seen anyone as arrogant as you in my life!"

Wu Dun drew his sword from its sheath, and pointed the tip of the sword directly at Guo Jia: "Today I am going to cut you into pieces, and then spell out the word death!"

Guo Jia glanced at Wu Dun, then yawned nonchalantly.

Although he didn't say a word, Wu Dun was so angry that he jumped up and down in anger, and he held the knife even tighter.

"Fuck, you!"

"Annu, don't be impulsive!"

Chang Xi was so scared that he rushed out to stop Wu Dun from getting close to Guo Jia.

Wu Dun glared at Chang Xi: "You all saw it, he was the one who provoked me first!"

Yin Li also stood on Wu Dun's side, angry and fierce: "Changba, are you just going to watch an outsider act so arrogantly in our territory?"

"Hehe, your territory?"

Hearing this, Guo Jia couldn't help but laugh.

Although the voice was not loud, it was extremely harsh to Wu Dun and Yin Li's ears: "Why are you laughing!"

Guo Jia glanced at them and said with contempt: "All under heaven belongs to the king, and all the people are his subjects. Who do you think you are? How dare you say that the land under your feet is your territory?"

"you!"

The two wanted to refute, but Guo Jia's words reminded them that they were just bandits, while the other party was the military advisor of Wang Jing, the number one prince in the world.

Compared with Guo Jia's noble status, the Taishan bandits are indeed somewhat unworthy of the public. (End of this chapter)