Chapter 63: Yang Xiu

  Ginger is old spicy. Huangfu Song does things, can be compared to Liu Bian, more steady. He did not lightly select people, but gathered Lü Bu, Zhang Chao and others to discuss, wanting to draw troops from all the major armies around Luoyang.

  There is a divine object called the "Huangdi Twelve Forms" cultivation chart, which serves as a rallying call. For any general who wants to achieve great things, being selected for this new army is equivalent to having the opportunity to be promoted to Xiaolian, a shortcut to officialdom. Who would not take it seriously?

  As soon as the message was announced, Lü Bu and Zhang Fei started arguing, each wanting to secure more places for their respective parties. Lü Bu had been somewhat displeased with Zhang Fei from the start, and their previous battle, which ended in a draw, was considered a great shame by him. Later, under the emperor's command, they were not allowed to engage in mortal combat, but only use fists and feet to determine superiority. He had thought that giving the emperor some face would be enough, just beating Zhang Fei once would do, but unexpectedly Zhang Fei made rapid progress, wanting to win over Zhang Fei was not as easy as he imagined, instead, it gave Zhang Fei one opportunity after another to practice.

  Later, he only knew that Zhang Xiu had a Daoyin Tu diagram given by the Son of Heaven, but at that time, he didn't know that these Daoyin Tu diagrams came from the "Huangdi Twelve Shapes". Zhang Xiu was unwilling to tell him such a secret, and only when he lost impatiently, did he vaguely tell him that there was a secret book.

  The people of Liangzhou were the first to climb up, and Zhang Xiang got the benefits given by the emperor, making it impossible for him to clear his shame, he already hated in his heart. Now the emperor wants to select brave warriors, build a new army, how can he let the people of Liangzhou take advantage again.

  The two people argued fiercely and almost came to blows on the spot.

  Huang Fu Song had long been prepared and ordered them to withdraw before announcing several demands.

  First, priority is given to young people, preferably those under the age of twenty-five. To have achieved a certain level of martial arts proficiency at this age means that one either has natural talent or has worked extremely hard, both of which are necessary conditions for becoming an expert.

  Second, priority is given to selecting candidates from humble backgrounds without any aristocratic connections. Aristocrats' children have bright futures and are often unwilling to endure hardship; in battle, they also tend to be concerned about their own lives. Such individuals are not suitable for being the Emperor's sword or the decisive factor in critical moments.

  Third, give priority to selecting people of integrity. Those who are unscrupulous and wicked are not suitable for serving as the emperor's bodyguards, let alone commanding troops. It should be known that this imperial guard is not only the most elite military force in the emperor's hands but also a cradle for cultivating generals, equivalent to the Imperial Academy for cultivating civil officials. If they have a base character, won't it bring disaster to future generations?

  Huang Fu Song stated these conditions, and Liu Bian understood. Huang Fu Song's plans were far more thorough than he had thought. He also understood why Huang Fu Song limited the number of people to around a thousand. With such conditions, it was not easy to get a thousand people. In this way, those who were not selected could only blame themselves for not being competitive enough, and in order to be eligible, they would also be able to restrain their temper.

  Next, rectifying military discipline had a good start.

  Of course, there is also an unspoken thought in this. Huangfu Song himself was a member of the aristocracy, and he proposed to prioritize the selection of talented individuals from humble backgrounds, thus avoiding suspicion towards himself. From another perspective, since the aristocratic families were concentrated in Shandong, if Liu Bian were to recover Shandong in the future, the sons of these aristocratic families would also be excluded by this principle, and would not severely affect the interests of the people of Shanxi.

  Liu Bian was well aware of this, but didn't reveal it. He listened quietly, without a word or smile. Yan Zhong saw it with his own eyes and felt both surprised and very satisfied. He exchanged a glance with Jia Xian and smiled in understanding. It was clear that Jia Xian had also noticed the change in Liu Bian, who compared to the previous stiff and pretentious Liu Bian, today's Liu Bian had put down his empty shell and became more dignified, more like an emperor.

  After fierce debate, the selection was first carried out among the 1,000 elite troops led by Zhang Heng and Zhang Liao.

  ……

  Yang Xiu stood at the door, looking at Zhang Fei and Lü Bu who were arguing with red faces and almost fighting, and frowned.

  What a bustle and noise, like a market! Is this really the imperial camp?

  Liu Bian clearly felt Yang Xiu's disdain. He glanced at Yang Xiu but didn't say a word.

  Right after that, Huangfu Song glanced at Yang Xiu, and then Lü Bu and Zhang Chao also turned their eyes to Yang Xiu. Lü Bu walked over with big strides, looking down on Yang Xiu, and said in a bad temper: "Whose child is this, running to the emperor's presence to cause trouble?"

  "Hong Nong Yang Xiu, I have come to pay respects on orders." Yang Xiu took a step back, avoiding Lü Bu, and quickly walked over to Liu Bei.

  "Hongnong Yang... repair?" Lü Bu was instantly intimidated. The Hongnong Yang family wasn't someone he could afford to provoke.

  "The Yang family is indeed producing talents." Huang Fu said calmly, "At a young age, he can already see through the heart and nature, with a profound family learning background, it's truly not ordinary."

  Liu Bian was taken aback and subconsciously glanced at Huang Fu. Huang Fu's words were very clear, Yang Xiu was young but had already understood his own destiny. This was a gift from heaven. Yang Xiu's parents were still alive, so there was no need for him to observe mourning rituals, it was only natural that he could understand his own destiny.

  No wonder this man became the talent that Cao Pi and Cao Zhi brothers competed to recruit, so much so that Cao Cao worried that Cao Pi's brothers would not be able to use him, and could only kill him in advance to avoid future troubles.

  Can he control such a talent? Liu Bian's eyes narrowed slightly as he sized up Yang Xiu, who was paying his respects.

  Yang Xiu's neck tightened for a moment, and his smooth movements paused slightly. However, he quickly recovered naturally, following the etiquette, he paid homage to Liu Bian with the grand ceremony of a minister to his monarch, and then also paid respects to Huangfu Song.

  Then... there was no then. Yan Zhong, Jia Xu and others were all ignored by him, let alone Lü Bu, Zhang Chao and the like, who were not even in his eyes.

  Jia Huai remained unmoved in his loyalty, but Yan Zhong showed some discontent. He coughed and said, "The Yang family of the Hong clan has produced four generations of high-ranking officials, with talented individuals emerging one after another. Looking at this young man's appearance, he seems refined and uncommon, surely he must have extraordinary insight as well."

  Yang Xiu glanced at Yan Zhong with a careless gaze and casually cupped his hands: "I don't know who you are..."

  Hanyang Yan Zhong

  "Oh, I've long admired you." Yang Xiu said with his mouth, but there was not a hint of sincerity on his face. "I don't have the insight of a superior man. I only have one foolish opinion, and I'd like to ask Lord Yan to enlighten me."

  Yan Zhong smiled: "I dare not instruct, let's just polish together."

  Liu Bian remained expressionless, watching the old and young men competing in a battle of wits. This was originally the domain of the Liangzhou people, and Yan Zhong and Jia Xiang were both rare wise men among the Liangzhou people, even Huangfu Song couldn't underestimate them. Yang Xi suddenly burst in, immediately arousing Yan Zhong's vigilance.

  "Yuan's uprising in Shandong, although numerous, is not a difficult problem. With General Huangfu here and the elite troops of Bing and Liang at Your Majesty's disposal, defeating the enemy will be a matter of mere moments. Yang Xiu slowly swept his gaze over the crowd: "However, with Shandong crumbling and the Han dynasty collapsing, do you gentlemen think that a mere 30-40 thousand elite troops from Pingzhou can quickly conquer the world?"

  Huangfu Song's eyes flashed, and he fell silent.

  "General Huangfu put down the Yellow Turban Rebellion in over half a year, but they were just a mob. Yang Xiu said calmly: 'Nowadays, those who have risen up in arms are all heroes from Shandong. General Huangfu, how long will you need? And how long can the imperial court's taxes support you? If the Xianbei invades and the Western Qiang rebels, what will you do then?"

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