Zhen Yi smiled and nodded, not insisting on him staying. After a moment of contemplation, he said with a smile, "Since Brother Wenyi is heading south to suppress the Yellow Turban and achieve great deeds, as your elder brother, I naturally cannot stand by and do nothing."
"I have prepared a million coins, which I wish to gift to Brother Wenyi for his campaign against the bandits. It's just a small contribution, and I hope you won't refuse it."
Liu Jin's heart rejoiced upon hearing this. He hadn't expected Zhen Yi to be so generous, gifting a million coins—this was no small sum.
However, since he was heading south to fight the bandits and didn't have a fixed territory, carrying so much money would actually hinder his marching speed.
After thinking for a moment, his eyes lit up. If he couldn't handle it, he would send it to Luoyang to curry favor with the Great General He Jin.
Having just slain thousands of Yellow Turbans outside Wuji County and secured the area, as a Biebu Sima, he was already qualified to report to the General's Mansion.
By presenting this merit and wealth, and expressing his loyalty and willingness to follow He Jin's arrangements, he should be able to secure the position of a Commandant.
As long as his official rank was high enough, there would naturally be many ways to earn money in the future. There was no need to sacrifice his future prospects for immediate gain.
Liu Jin immediately accepted the money, his face showing respect as he said with a smile, "Thank you, Jing'an, for your assistance. I will certainly remember it. If you ever face any difficulties in the future, just inform me, and I will do my utmost to help."
Zhen Yi stroked his beard and laughed heartily, "Your words are enough, my worthy brother."
Thus, the two chatted for a while in the main hall, then Liu Jin clasped his hands and took his leave.
Liu Jin rode his horse, escorted by Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, with several carriages behind him transporting the money, slowly heading towards the military camp outside the city.
Standing outside his mansion's gate, Zhen Yi watched Liu Jin depart, his eyes filled with anticipation, hoping this investment would not be in vain.
Although a million coins was not a huge sum for his Zhen Family, for ordinary people, it was an astronomical figure. Naturally, he hoped Liu Jin would grow into a formidable figure.
Inside the military camp outside the city!
Liu Jin returned to the main tent of the army, sat in the commanding position, and, looking at his trusted Generals, immediately spoke, "The entire army will rest for one day. Tomorrow morning, we will break camp and head south, reaching Zhao Commandery as soon as possible to rendezvous with the imperial army."
"As for the prisoners in the camp, they will all be left here for the magistrate of Wuji County to handle."
The Generals bowed in obedience.
After a moment of contemplation, Liu Jin looked at Zhao Ergou beside him and slowly said, "There's something I'd like you to handle, which might take a considerable amount of time. Are you willing?"
Zhao Ergou, without any hesitation, patted his chest and nodded, "Big Brother, just give the order. Your younger brother will certainly do it without fail."
Hearing this, Liu Jin nodded, and his voice slowly emerged, "I want you to make a trip to Luoyang and present this million coins to the Great General He Jin, to show that I, Liu Jin, am willing to pledge my allegiance to him."
"Also, report the merits of this battle and see if we can secure the position of a Commandant."
"As you know, we are from humble origins and have no one to support us in the court."
"Even if we achieve immense merit, climbing the ranks will be extremely difficult, and we might even be rejected by those high-ranking court officials."
"Therefore, we must seize this opportunity while He Jin has just become Great General and doesn't have many trusted subordinates. We must cling tightly to this powerful figure. With his backing in the court, we will have a chance to rise."
Zhao Ergou's eyes filled with determination upon hearing this, understanding the hardships his Big Brother faced.
He quickly nodded and said loudly, "Please rest assured, Big Brother. Your younger brother will definitely handle this matter well and help you establish a connection with the Great General."
Liu Jin nodded slightly upon hearing this and said, "Now you are also a Military Marquis, an official of the court, with a respectable status. It might be inappropriate to continue using the name Zhao Ergou."
"Since I am your elder brother, I will help you change your name and courtesy name. Do you agree?"
Zhao Ergou, beside him, was overjoyed and said excitedly, "Big Brother, I've long wanted to do so, but I lack education. I'll follow whatever my elder brother decides."
Liu Jin nodded and spoke the name he had already thought of, "How about you be named Zhao Teng, with the courtesy name De Hu?"
Zhao Ergou quickly nodded upon hearing this and said excitedly, "Thank you, Big Brother."
"From now on, I, Zhao Ergou, will officially change my name to Zhao Teng, with the courtesy name De Hu."
Liu Jin smiled and nodded, saying, "Since that's the case, prepare yourself early and head to Luoyang to handle the matter."
"That way, I can rest easy."
Zhao Teng immediately bowed and withdrew, beginning to select some men to escort the million coins to Luoyang.
Several days later!
Outside Ye City in Wei Commandery, the official army's camp stretched for miles, completely encircling the entire city.
Inside the main military camp, Lu Zhi, clad in armor and with a resolute expression, was discussing matters with his deputy, Zong Yuan, in the military tent.
Lu Zhi looked at the military map, and after a moment of contemplation, slowly said, "Boda, our army has besieged Ye City for several days. The Yellow Turban in the city are terrified, their morale is scattered, and their spirits are low. I fear it won't be long before we can breach this city."
Zong Yuan nodded upon hearing this and said with a smile, "This is largely due to the General's excellent command. Since entering Ji Province, we have won battle after battle, scaring these Yellow Turbans into fleeing in disarray, not daring to engage our army at all."
Lu Zhi nodded slightly at this flattery, acknowledging the truth of the statement.
However, he looked at another part of the map, where a location was already marked, indicating Zhang Liang, one of the three main leaders of the Yellow Turban.
Frowning, he slowly said, "Boda, I am confident in breaching Ye City, but this bandit leader Zhang Liang, leading thirty thousand troops, has already left Guangzong City and is approaching Ye City, seemingly intending to reinforce the Yellow Turban in Ye City."
"If this bandit ambushes our army from behind while we are assaulting the city, our army could face the risk of defeat. How do you suggest we resolve this matter?"
Zong Yuan pondered for a moment upon hearing this, then slowly said, "General, I believe we can dispatch a great General to lead several thousand troops to intercept Zhang Liang, preventing him from moving."
"The General can then focus entirely on attacking Ye City. Once the city is breached, lead the army further north to rendezvous with the original forces and besiege Zhang Liang."
Lu Zhi nodded upon hearing this; it was a good plan.
As long as Zhang Liang was temporarily intercepted, preventing his reinforcements from reaching Ye City, the danger would be resolved once he breached the city.
Zong Yuan's voice continued from the side, "General, I believe your disciple, Gongsun Zan, who fought against foreign tribes in his early years, is brave and skilled in military strategy. He is perfectly capable of taking on this responsibility and leading troops to intercept them."
Lu Zhi frowned upon hearing this, falling into hesitation.
He naturally knew Gongsun Zan was his student, strong in both civil and military strategy. Intercepting Zhang Liang's forces should not be a problem.
But precisely because he was his student, giving him such an important task would make the Generals in the army feel that he was unfair, damaging his reputation.
Moreover, Gongsun Zan was only a Military Sima, and among the many Generals in the army, his official rank was not very high, making it somewhat difficult for him to lead an independent army.
Furthermore, the merit gained from interception might not be as great as the merit of breaching Ye City.
Rather than that, it would be better for him to remain in the camp, at least gaining merit alongside him.
Therefore, Lu Zhi seemed somewhat hesitant and did not intend to appoint Gongsun Zan.
Zong Yuan, standing beside him, sighed slightly upon seeing his General's hesitation.
Lord Lu was good in every aspect, except that he was too protective of his reputation. To avoid suspicion, he would rather heavily rely on other Generals than on his own students.
