Chapter 17: Seeking Talent Through Benevolence

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Chen Yi held the tea, while Jia Xu propped his neck and blew on the hot steam. He slightly raised his head as a signal before Chen Yi helped feed him a sip of tea.
“Governor, could you please tell this old man why a dignified Prefect like Xu must be led about by others?”
Chen Cong cleared his throat twice. “Isn’t it because last time, your foolish idea didn’t sit well with me?”
“Well then, this old man wants to ask the Governor—who would listen to Xu looking like this when he goes to each family?”
Hmm...
Here lies the problem.
If they let Jia Xu go free, that old scoundrel will run off. But if they don’t release him, no one will listen...
Perhaps it’s still best to use the Grain Officer.
Seeing Chen Cong’s shifting expression, Jia Xu’s heart skipped a beat. If he couldn’t be released this time and was tied up again, he would surely develop some ailment from it eventually.
Hastily, he continued, “Governor, this old man is truly loyal and swears never to run!”
Chen Cong hesitated. “Other people’s oaths might be seventy percent credible, but you... forget it, it’s not impossible to release you...”
“Please speak plainly, Governor.”
“You write me three blood letters: one cursing the Emperor, one cursing the Grand Tutor, and one cursing the eighteen feudal lords. Once done, sign your name and seal it with your fingerprint, and I will naturally let you go.”
At this moment, Jia Xu only wanted to curse.
He was a ‘fake poison,’ but this Chen thief was the ‘real poison.’
If those three bloody letters were exposed, his ancestral tombs would be dug up by others!
“Governor, this old man has little blood; how can I write three letters?”
“No problem, chicken’s blood or duck’s blood will do. Just having the right attitude is enough.”
Jia Xu pulled a mournful face. “The Grand Tutor of the current court is Your Excellency’s honored father-in-law, and the General of the West is Your Excellency’s father-in-law. How dare this old man act rashly?”
“No matter. When others curse, it’s genuine. When you curse, it’s obviously feigned. This General won’t quarrel with you.”
Jia Xu: ...
Should he agree?
Doing so would truly bind him to Chen the traitor for life. Otherwise, no matter how vast the world, Jia Xu would have no place to stand.
Should he refuse?
Judging by the circumstances, he had reason to believe Chen Cong could bind him to death.
After some agonizing, Jia Xu finally relented, “Very well, very well, this old man will write them.”
“Hahaha, that’s the spirit. From now on, follow this General and enjoy the good life. Cheng Zhuo, you are also to command five hundred Flying Bears to assist Mr. Wenhe in his duties!”
Cheng Zhuo clasped his fists to acknowledge. “At once.”
Having settled Jia Xu, it was tantamount to gaining control over all the private armies.
Chen Cong did not inquire about the specific steps, which conveniently limited Jia Xu’s sly schemes.
As long as he did not give his consent, no one else would take the blame. Given that old crafty fellow’s nature, he would inevitably avoid committing heinous acts.
Finally, only the appointment of capable talents remained.

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“Zi He, select the capable among the city residents as officials.”
Cao Chun accepted the order. “Yes!”
“As for recruiting the virtuous and worthy for office, leave that to Zhong De.”
Cheng Yu rose to accept the command.
Those who lead with their minds govern others; those who work with their hands are governed by others.
After arranging the tasks, Chen Cong comfortably assumed the role of a hands-off manager.
Changing into a long robe and covering his face with a square scarf, he took Xu Huang and left the Governor’s Mansion.
...
Compared to Luoyang, the streets of Jinyang were far less lively.
Passersby hurried along with determined steps.
Most trades were exchanges of necessities, conducted either by money or barter.
Along the roadsides were mostly grain shops and eateries; even taverns were rare, not to mention any places of entertainment.
Near the city walls, the primary trades were artisan guilds, horse markets, and slave markets.
The blacksmith shops bustled with business. The frontier folk were fierce by nature, especially since Ding Yuan’s death, leaving Bingzhou in a prolonged power vacuum.
The border residents guarded the frontier on their own; lacking weapons was out of the question.
The horse market was comparatively quieter.
Good horses were hard to find, partly because of their high price.
Not to mention the ten-gold Da Yuan horses, even the ordinary two-gold nags seldom found buyers.
Those who frequented the horse market were generally well-dressed, clearly from noble or established families.
The most outrageous was the slave market.
Packed with people—men, women, old and young alike—each with a stalk of straw behind their necks, kneeling anywhere and everywhere as commodities.
Often, no price was even asked; simply providing a meal was enough to take someone away.
Looking at this, Xu Huang felt a pang of sorrow and sighed, “Alas, if life were not so unbearable, who would willingly sell themselves into slavery?”
Chen Cong glanced at him. “Are you getting sentimental? Not all, but at least half of these are refugees fleeing the chaos caused by the White Wave Bandits. If you pity them so much, then catching them and chopping off Yang Feng’s head would count as a great virtue.”
Xu Huang fell silent, stunned, while Chen Cong’s thoughts shifted to another matter.
Population.
He intended to reclaim the nine commanderies of Bingzhou, but without people, it was impossible.
Especially Shuofang, Wuyuan, and Yunzhong commanderies, ravaged by the barbarians for so long that less than one in ten Han people remained.
Even if he regained his homeland, holding it would be uncertain.
Bringing in people from elsewhere was unrealistic.
Who would willingly leave their homes for the frontier, constantly battling foreign hoofbeats?
Yet Jia Xu had said, “All captives from the four directions shall be newly registered and enrolled as household citizens...”
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Placed in Taiyuan, this could be a deadly poison strategy. But in the three northern commanderies, if the captives were replaced by refugees, it would be a saintly plan that brings life to thousands of families.
Refugees who lost their land and struggled to survive would risk any danger for a patch of earth to settle on.
Those who had once been displaced, if given another chance, would rather bite the invading wolves to death than lose their homes again.
The immediate problem was to keep these people alive before reclaiming the lost lands.
Chen Cong had only fifty thousand hu of grain. Even if he “borrowed” from the Wang family of Qixian, it wouldn’t sustain so many refugees.
And this was just the refugees in Jinyang alone.
If he called upon the noble families to contribute...
They certainly wouldn’t do it for free; they would demand benefits...
The aristocracy lacked neither money, land, grain, nor status; what they sought were privileges.
In this era, what counted as privilege?
Holding office was privilege!
Fortunately, Chen Cong had no shortage of official positions, but rather a shortage of capable hands.
Then...
If Liu Aidang’s selling of offices and titles were slightly modified...
“Xu Huang!”
“Yes, your servant.”
“Immediately return to the Governor’s Mansion and tell Zhong De that recruitment isn’t urgent for now. Have him spread word that the new Governor is benevolent and seeks talent. Anyone of great virtue will be appointed as a prefect of a commandery without hesitation. Do it quickly!”
“Understood.”
Of course, things wouldn’t be so simple.
Until the situation stabilized, given the noble families’ habit of waiting for certainty before acting,
they might provide some private troops since the Governor’s Mansion was strong and they felt secure,
but if asked to bear the risk and serve officially, even begging might not work.
The best way was to show strength.
Let them see the new Governor’s military might, invincible and unstoppable.
Only by witnessing the bright future of Bingzhou would they, like hyenas smelling blood, gather on their own.
Only then would the policy of “selecting the virtuous with benevolence” take effect.
How to show “benevolence”? By distributing grain to relieve the people.
How to prove oneself more “benevolent” than others? By distributing more grain, helping more people.
So now...
Chen Cong needed to pick the softest target and crush it quickly, like autumn wind sweeping fallen leaves.