Chapter 311 Zhou Lang Deciphered
Late.

At the end of the first day of the meeting, He Qi walked out dazed and returned the greetings to every stranger.

"Congratulations, we will soon be calling you General He."

"Thank you."

"General He, would you be so kind as to attend the banquet?"

"Another day."

"General He..."

He Qi: “…”

In the short distance of a few dozen meters from the meeting hall to the door, He Qi felt as if he had walked through his entire life.

He really didn't expect that the lord would use the five battalions for experiments and form a separate army!

This is an unimaginable autonomy, no one in the entire army has it, it's unique!
No wonder these people, regardless of whether they knew him or not, all came to congratulate him, as if He Qi had already become the general.

Even He Qi was so overwhelmed by the praise that he subconsciously forgot about the test.

"To be a general, one must be both wise and brave." Jin Mao's original words: "To lead an army alone, one has extraordinary autonomy, so one must be extremely loyal!"

He Qi had not yet realized the seriousness of the problem. From the moment he was proposed for the rank of general, the Fifth Battalion was no longer a border guard job, but became a popular commodity.

Even Liu Bei, who had been reluctant to go at first, was very jealous.

There are not many opportunities to make a leap forward.

This time, those who participate in the assessment of generals must meet three conditions: first, they must have the rank of colonel, second, they must resign from their original position, and third, they must have certain governing experience.

During the assessment process, participants will be arranged to serve in the nine counties of Jiaozhou, and the assessment objectives will be based on three aspects: political achievements, number of new recruits, and culture and education.

This is completely different from leading troops into battle.

The purpose of Jinmao establishing the Jiaozhou Military Region was, on the one hand, to stabilize the local area, and on the other hand, to develop this precious land of Jiaozhou.

Therefore, it is difficult to obtain the first general rank, and He Qi is still walking on cotton, unaware of the dangerous road ahead.

Then again, no one in the entire army knows Jiaozhou better than He Qi, so it seems that he is the only one who can pass the assessment?
Liu Bei's military rank was not high enough, but Zhang Fei and others were high enough, but they were not capable of governing the place.

However, there are three people who are strong competitors of He Qi.

Huang Gai! Zhou Tai! Gong Lei!

Originally, Shiraishi, the commander of the Imperial Guards and chairman of the Shinshinkyo Council, was also going to take the test, but Jin Mao made it clear that he did not need to take the test, and as long as the first general rank appeared, he would be the second. Shiraishi then gave up and Gong Lei took the part.

After years of hard study, Gong Lei finally has some abilities and is qualified to compete for fame.

There is no need to mention Huang Gai and Zhou Tai, they are veterans who meet the requirements in all aspects and they do not think they are inferior to He Qi in any way.

"Gong Miao." At this time, Yu Fan approached He Qi and said with a cupped hand: "First of all, congratulations on your qualification for the general rank assessment."

He Qi returned the greeting numbly, not noticing that Yu Fan's expression was not right.

"Besides, I hope you won't be deceived!" Yu Fan said seriously: "These people who congratulated you are all from Jiangbei, Yangzhou."

Yu Fan pointed to the opposite side, where he saw Zhou Yu and Sun Ce standing together, discussing something with Huang Gai, Zhou Tai and others. Those who had congratulated Qi before also greeted Zhou Yu and others before leaving.

He Qi suddenly woke up and thanked Yu Fan: "Thanks to Lord Yu being here, Qi almost went astray."

Yes, I haven’t even upgraded yet, how can I be so arrogant?

"Lord Yu, what should I do?" He Qi's attitude was very respectful. Even if Yu Fan was very sharp-tongued, there were really few outstanding strategists in the counties south of the Yangtze River.

"No hurry." Yu Fan waved his hand and turned around, greeted Zhou Yu and others first, and then stood there, as if waiting for someone.

Ling Cao?

No.

Dong Xi?

Nor is it.

"Derun." Yu Fan waved to Kan Ze, and the latter came over.

No matter how indifferent Kan Ze is to fame and fortune, he cannot ignore the battle for reputation. This time, we will find out whether the Yangzhou faction has the final say in Jiangnan or Jiangbei.

Yu Fan and his four men then joined up with several outstanding men from Yuzhang and Danyang counties before leaving.

This is certainly not the place for discussion.

On the other side, Zhou Yu looked at the direction where the scholars from Yangzhou and Jiangnan were leaving and smiled meaningfully.

He didn't care about the distinction between the south and north of the Yangtze River. Everyone served the same lord, so why should we distinguish between you and me?

But Huang Gai and others did not think so.

"Gongjin, you are very resourceful, you must make more plans for us."

The person who spoke was Zhou Tai, a man with a poker face who rarely showed a requesting expression at this moment.

Huang Gai was from Lingling County, Jingzhou, and his ancestors were aristocratic family that migrated north. He had no interest in this dispute, but Zhou Yu's talent was well known to everyone, and Huang Gai also wanted to get guidance from Zhou Yu.

After all, if he is the first general to succeed, he can brag about it for the rest of his life.

Jiang Qin even urged, "Zhou Lang, why don't we discuss this somewhere else? This is not the place to discuss things."

Although Jiang Qin could not participate in the competition, as a member of the Yangzhou Jiangbei faction, he also wanted to contribute.

Zhou Yu bowed helplessly and asked, "Have you forgotten someone?"

Huang Gai and other people of the older generation were all confused, only the young Sun Ce realized it. However, Sun Ce was no longer impulsive and did not jump out to answer.

"Gongjin is really smart!" Sun Ce looked at Zhou Yu's handsome profile and began to think in his mind.

It's not that he wants to kidnap Zhou Yu and establish himself as the emperor. Now as long as Jin Mao doesn't do anything stupid, the unification of the world is only a matter of time, and Sun Ce doesn't want to miss this great opportunity.

Instead, Sun Ce wanted to use Zhou Yu's talents to point out the direction for his future.

The title of Tuntian Xiaowei sounds impressive, but in reality he is just a logistics supervisor. Sun Ce realized within a few months of taking office that he had no future because the pace at which he gained military merit was too slow.

Zhou Yu naturally noticed Sun Ce's expression. While secretly praising him, he also explained it to this group of old comrades.

"Gong Shikai!"

Zhou Yu said: "There are four competitors in total. Gong Shikai is an instructor in the Training Department and a former lieutenant of a battalion. His competitive strength is higher than the rest of you!"

Huang Gai and others suddenly realized, yes, why shouldn’t Gong Lei be in a hurry? As a native of Yangzhou, he didn’t look anywhere.

Of course, it is also possible that Yu Fan will go to find Gong Lei.

However, Zhou Yu's next words immediately denied this speculation.

"The Lord has seen all of your actions of banding together, and I am worried about you."

Zhou Yu said earnestly: "Don't look at this matter from the perspective of the aristocracy. The purpose of this lordship is not only to select talents, but also to see to what extent the subordinates have colluded."

Everyone was shocked, even Sun Ce did not think of this level.

"Just wait and see." Zhou Yu sighed, "If you all unite to deal with Gong Shikai, the lord will only help Gong Shikai to the top."

Although Zhou Yu was not clear about Jin Mao's true thoughts, these things were obvious and clues could be seen from daily life.

Otherwise, why would Jin Mao hate the gentry so much that he would not let them go even if they were killed by mistake?

Isn't it because the relationships among the nobles are like the roots of an old tree, so complicated that once they are uprooted, they will suffer heavy losses, injuring the enemy by a thousand and losing eight hundred of their own.

It would be better to kill them all.

Moreover, Zhou Yu knew that Jin Mao valued Kan Ze not only for his ability, but also because he hoped that Kan Ze could develop education.

By then, the lower-class talents will begin to come to the fore, and that will be the end of the gentry.

Even though Jin Mao didn't say these things, it didn't mean that no one couldn't understand them. The Xun family, the Gu family, and the Lu family all had smart people, and naturally the smart person in the Zhou family was Zhou Yu himself.

These top families have already started to transform, but the generals just don't know about it. Huang Gai couldn't help but ask, "Then should we disperse now?"

He is not from the Yangzhou faction, so he can escape quickly and will not be remembered by the lord.

Zhou Yu comforted him, "That's not necessary."

"Just remember that the Lord hates forming cliques for personal gain and values ​​people who are capable of doing practical work."

"Just like this competition, nominally it is to prepare the stage for the generals, but in reality it is to test your governance abilities."

When Zhou Yu saw the crowd gathering nearby, he did not hide his own opinions. He picked out some of the things he could say and spoke loudly to everyone.

"The leader of an army must not only be good at fighting, but also be able to coordinate food, supplies, laborers, and wounded soldiers."

“Overall consideration is indispensable.”

Everyone nodded.

Zhou Yu began to talk about some issues he noticed after becoming the governor.

"It's like in the first month of the year, there was a riot in Qianwei County, Yizhou, and the Second Battalion Captain Zhang Yide advocated the use of violence to quell the riot."

"Fortunately, I stopped it in time and contacted the Shenxin religion. I learned that it was a local official in Qianwei County who was causing the riot, causing the villagers to complain and cause this chaos."

"I investigated further and found that this matter was closely related to the Qianwei nobles, so I reported it to the lord."

Seeing that Zhou Yu didn't continue, Jiang Qin asked curiously, "What happened next?"

Zhou Yu sneered, "My lord will not tolerate such a despicable fellow. This is a good thing for the soldiers of the second battalion."

"Hahaha!"

Everybody laughed. This was a traditional skill. Jinmao only allowed this to happen when the property was confiscated and the clan was exterminated. There was no such good opportunity at other times.

After everyone quieted down, Zhou Yu continued, "I want to tell you one thing about this matter. Shenxin Religion is also a force under the lord's command. If you have any problems that are difficult to solve, you may ask them for help."

There is a natural barrier between the Han people and the mountain people, but the mountain people make up the largest population in Jiaozhou.

These words seemed to be spoken to everyone, but in fact they were pointing out a clear path for Huang Gai and Zhou Tai.

Indeed, when it comes to understanding Jiaozhou, no one knows it better than He Qi, but does He Qi know it better than the local mountain people of Jiaozhou?
not necessarily.

Why not let professionals do such professional things?

Huang Gai and Zhou Tai were both smart men, especially Zhou Yu, who was looking at the two of them when he said this, and the meaning is self-evident.

The two men clasped their fists and bowed to Zhou Yu, expressing their sincere admiration.

At this time, Jiang Qin, who had a strange imagination, suddenly said: "Yihongyuan is also the lord's property, why didn't Zhou Lang mention it?"

As an underground party organization, Yihongyuan is able to transmit intelligence, but even if someone knows about it, they will not speak it out openly.

Is an underground party that is exposed in the open still an underground party?
Zhou Yu took advantage of the situation and yelled, "Shut up! If you don't know how to speak, don't speak!"

If Zhou Yu didn't have to work with Jiang Qin for many years in the future, he wouldn't care about the life or death of this idiot.

Jiang Qin was confused by the shout and wanted to argue, but was pulled back by Huang Gai and others.

"What to do?"

Facing the stubborn Jiang Qin, Zhou Tai turned his face coldly and used the authority he once had as Jiang Qin's boss: "Shut up!"

To be honest, the person Jiang Qin fears the most is Zhou Tai. The lord will not be impartial, but Zhou Tai will not show favoritism. The two are fellow villagers and good friends, so they can still kill each other.

This time, Jiang Qin became obedient.

Although Zhou Tai was not clear about the ins and outs of this, he believed that Zhou Yu would not do anything without a purpose.

A dull person should have the awareness of a dull person.

Zhou Yu looked at Zhou Tai with admiration, thinking that he was a talented person that could be cultivated.

Jiang Qin is studious but has character flaws. Zhou Tai is not only studious but also has no character problems. He is simply an enhanced version of Jiang Qin.

Zhou Yu was only nineteen years old this year, but he didn't think there was anything wrong with being a teacher to this group of seniors, and even the people who were listening to his lectures didn't think it was bad.

Then, Zhou Yu began to talk about his experience during his time as the governor of Yizhou, covering so many aspects that it would take too long to finish.

As the sun set, the crowd who had been listening intently suddenly realized that Zhou Yu had been sharing his experiences with everyone for more than half an hour without stopping.

This is a very rare and precious treasure. Everyone invited him, "Please don't refuse, Zhou Lang."

Jiang Qin even started to make a noise, "Let's go to Yihong Courtyard! I'll invite Zhou Lang!"

Zhou Yu naturally felt the heartfelt respect from everyone calling him "Zhou Lang". He felt a sense of accomplishment and naturally would not refuse.

However, once Jiang Qin started making a fuss, things started to go astray.

Huang Gai joked, "If Zhou Lang went to Yihong Courtyard, the girls would pay to have a look at him."

"That's right." Zhou Tai rarely joined in the fun and said, "The song is wrong, Zhou Lang is right!"

"Hahaha!"

Everyone laughed and surrounded Zhou Yu to go to the restaurant. They couldn't go to Yihongyuan, as how could they let the girls have sex with Zhou Lang for free.

Sun Ce did not follow him. Looking at Zhou Yu's high-spirited appearance, he secretly clenched his fists.

“This is the life I should be living!”

“No!” Sun Ce shouted in his heart: “I don’t just want others to call me Sun Lang, I also want to be General Sun!”

At this time, Sun Ce was still struggling on the road to becoming a little overlord.

The world is making fun of people.

...

The meeting hall.

Jin Mao sat at the top, with Xi Zhicai, Xun You, and Xun Yu on his left from top to bottom, and Gu Yong, Jia Xu, Zhang Zhao, and Bu Zhi on his right from top to bottom.

Originally, Zhang Zhao and Bu Zhi were not qualified to sit in the court, but Jin Mao allowed them to sit in as observers, considering that they were about to go to Jiaozhou to take up their posts.

The candidate for general is yet to be determined, but the positions of Zhang Zhao and Bu Zhi have been determined, namely, Zhizhong Shishi and Beijia Shishi respectively.

Zhang Zhao was in charge of government affairs, and Bu Zhi coordinated military and political affairs. It seemed that Zhang Zhao had a higher status, but in fact, Bu Zhi had more power.

Zhou Yu was giving a long speech outside the hall, and Jin Mao ordered his men to have every word of it conveyed inside.

"Gongjin this brat."

Jin Mao laughed and scolded, "He is so handsome and so smart, it's really unfair."

Everyone in the hall had different expressions. Xi Zhicai and Xun Yu smiled apologetically, while the rest of the people had poker faces, especially Zhang Zhao and Bu Zhi, who had an expression that said they would not listen to anything inappropriate.

"My Lord," Xi Zhicai suggested, "I think Zhou Gongjin feels that he has not finished yet. Why don't we hold a separate class to teach him?"

"Very good!" Jin Mao's eyes lit up and he said, "Zhicai, Yuantan (Gu Yong), your ability in governing is not inferior to Gongjin. Please teach us a thing or two."

"Yes." The two of them nodded in response.

"Then we can start the lecture in the meeting hall tomorrow. There is no need to choose a time."

The matter was settled. Jin Mao looked at Zhang Zhao and Bu Zhi and said, "Jiaozhou is lagging behind. You two will have to bear more responsibility."

Zhang Zhao and Bu Zhi immediately stood up and bowed, "Yes!"

Jin Mao put his hands down and said, "It's getting late, let's finish the dinner before leaving."

Soon, delicious dishes were served one after another. In order not to be late for work tomorrow, tea was used instead of wine.

It was the first time for Zhang Zhao and Bu Zhi to be on the same stage with so many big shots. Their faces were red, as if they had been drinking.

(End of this chapter)