As he was speaking, a muscular cavalry officer came galloping over, dismounted, and said with a fist: "Xing Daorong, the garrison commander of Lingling, has been ordered to come and greet the general!"
"General, please stand up!" Liu Qi said with a smile, "Thank you for your concern, Governor Liu."
Xing Daorong looked big and strong, and his physique was almost the same as Zhang Fei. Liu Xian called him the General of Lingling. He was more than capable of guarding the county, but he was not considered a famous general.
Without Liu Bei coming to seize Jingzhou, Xing Daorong would have lost the chance to become famous, so it would be good for him to just be a general in the county.
When everyone arrived in Lingling, Liu Du had already brought hundreds of officials to welcome them. They held a banquet at the government office and everyone was in great joy.
Liu Du and his son surrendered voluntarily, and there was no trouble in the county. In the evening, Liu Qi wrote a letter and ordered Liu Xian to deliver it to Liu Ba to see if he was willing to serve as an official.
The next morning, Liu Qi was meeting Jiang Wan and Liu Min. These two people were about the same age as him, but had not yet been recommended for official positions and did not have the titles of Maocai and Xiaolian, so they could not serve as officials in the court.
Liu Qi saw that Jiang Wan was knowledgeable and calm, while Liu Min was more heroic, and was worthy of being a man who dared to resist Cao Wei's 100,000-strong army in the later period.
At this time, the news of Liu Qi's change had already spread throughout the world, and Jingzhou was even more excited. They were all of similar age, and while they admired Liu Qi, they also had a great conversation and were both attracted by the youthful vigor and passion.
If they wanted to promote the two men, they should at least have the title of outstanding talents, so they decided to find a famous scholar to recommend them.
This is the drawback of the Han Dynasty's recommendation system. Without famous scholars and official recommendations, it is impossible to enter the officialdom.
The person who recommends someone becomes a lifelong benefactor, so each family naturally only recommends people who are close to them. This has also become the basis for the aristocratic families to control the officialdom.
The imperial examination is one way to break the monopoly of aristocratic families, but Liu Qi does not have the power to do it now, nor does he have the conditions and resources to realize it, so he can only follow the current rules.
While they were discussing, an official document from Xiangyang suddenly arrived, along with an imperial edict. Cao Cao recommended Liu Qi as Marquis of Xiangyang, appointed him General of Chariots and Cavalry, and put him in charge of the affairs of Jingzhou!
"Congratulations, General, on your promotion!" Liu Xian and others were overjoyed upon hearing this and bowed to congratulate him.
At the age of eighteen, he was promoted to a position above the Nine Ministers, and was granted the title of nobility and appointed as a general. Looking back at all the dynasties, few people could achieve such an achievement.
With this imperial edict, Liu Qi not only had the right to take charge of Jingzhou, but also had the power to establish a government and govern affairs. In the future, he would no longer have to submit a memorial to the emperor for every appointment he made to officials.
Liu Qi glanced at the letter, then slowly put the imperial edict down, frowned and sighed: "Cao is just eager to redeem the captives. If there were no hostages in hand, how could he increase the reward so much? If this is really the grace of the emperor, how wonderful it would be?"
Cao Cao promoted him just to reduce the five million in money and grain to two million. The official title was dispensable to Liu Qi. After all, Jingzhou was in his hands, while the money and grain were real benefits.
Jiang Wan clasped his fists and said, "General, you are wrong! The imperial edict came from the court. Your Majesty must have been waiting in the palace when he learned that the general was powerful in the south of the Yangtze River and wanted to destroy the traitors and revive the Han Dynasty. This imperial edict may not be without your Majesty's earnest expectations."
Liu Qi was slightly startled, and bowed to the north: "The emperor is trapped in Hebei, and is desperately waiting for rescue. Cao thief has issued a false edict to order the world, and I will definitely save my brother from the water and fire."
Everyone saluted, and one person laughed and said, "General, you have such great ambitions. As long as Cao Cao is not destroyed, why worry about the prosperity of the Han Dynasty?"
Liu Qi looked back and saw a man standing outside the yamen. He was wearing a blue robe with long sleeves and a tuft of goatee, and was walking in with a big laugh.
Liu Xian was pleasantly surprised and said, "This is Liu Zichu!"
To be specific, Liu Xian and Liu Ba belong to the same clan and lived together five generations ago. Although they are estranged now, they still interact occasionally.
Liu Qi stepped forward to greet him, clasped his fists and said, "Sir, it is a great honor for Jingzhou to have you here!"
"How dare I!" Liu Ba returned the greeting, "The great victory in Nanyang has caused Cao Cao to return in defeat. This is a blessing for Jingzhou and the Han Dynasty!"
Liu Qi was secretly delighted. As expected, Liu Ba was optimistic about Cao Cao because he was the strongest and even had the hope of unifying the world. He wanted to end the chaos as soon as possible.
Liu Qi's sudden rise blocked Cao Cao's way south. He was much stronger than Liu Bei both in status and strength. This series of actions finally made Liu Ba change his mind.
After some greetings, everyone came to the government office. Liu Xian ordered people to set up the banquet again. Jiang Wan and Liu Min were both acquainted with Liu Ba. The three famous scholars from Jingzhou finally gathered in the government office in Lingling.
After chatting for a while, Liu Ba asked, "General, you wrote to me and drew a route to the South Seas and the Kushan Sea. This is really a great ambition. I have lived in Jingnan for a long time and have only heard of it. The general's drawing is so detailed that I admire it."
Liu Qi smiled and said, "When I was in Xiangyang, I liked to collect rare books from all over the world, and I have dabbled in the affairs of other countries. In the past, Qin Shihuang conquered Baiyue, and General Fu Bo Ma Yuan stabilized the South China Sea. These are all our Chinese lands. There are many rare treasures in the South China Sea. If we can transport them to the Central Plains, we will make a fortune."
Liu Ba stroked his beard and said, "Rare goods can be kept, and the investment will bring huge profits. General, you are not only able to command troops, but also have such foresight. Why worry about not accomplishing great things? If we can trade with Nanyue, the goods can be transported from Jingzhou to Jiangdong, Xishu, and the Central Plains. There will be great potential for Jingchu."
Liu Qi said: "Although I know a little bit about business, I know nothing about finance. The foundation of a country lies in whether the treasury is rich. I still need your advice."
Liu Ba clasped his fists and said, "Thank you for your high regard, General. I will do my best."
Liu Qi was overjoyed. The key point that impressed Liu Ba was to get him to work in the economy. This trade route and money-making strategy really aroused Liu Ba's interest.
Although Liu Ba was unwilling to surrender to Liu Bei at first and fled from Jingzhou to Jiaozhi and then to Yizhou, fate brought them together thousands of miles apart and he eventually became Liu Bei's aide.
The first thing he did after taking office was to solve Liu Bei's financial problem. He established a "Zhi Bai" system, which enriched the treasury within a few months!
Liu Ba had such advanced economic ideas that he could understand Liu Qi's plan at a glance. This was completely different from the thinking of the current princes who only knew how to increase taxes to fill the treasury. Although the two had never met, they already felt like they were soulmates.
The plan to develop Southeast Asia made Liu Ba realize his own ambition.
The slogan of restoring the Han Dynasty is known to the world. In the Central Plains, it was just to win people's hearts and minds for the justice of sending troops, but outward expansion showed Liu Qi's unique side.
As a man praised by Zhuge Liang, Liu Ba's vision and ability are unquestionable. Only these extraordinary means can impress him.
During the dinner, everyone toasted each other and spoke freely. Some of Liu Qi's novel ideas won everyone's praise, especially when he talked with Liu Ba about making money. The two of them talked incessantly, leaving others stunned.
When Liu Du saw these young people were full of vigor and vitality, he realized that his son Liu Xian was still far from achieving his goals. He finally agreed to let Liu Xian go out to gain experience. If he wanted to achieve something, he could not stay with his parents all the time.
The trip to Lingling was fruitful, so Liu Xian took the three of them to Xiangyang. Liu Qi's next stop was Wuling. He didn't know what Jin Xuan's attitude towards him was, as he had an ambiguous attitude.