Chapter 8: The Coward's Spring

"My Lord, please do not jest. If you were a coward, there would be no brave men left in the world."

Pang Que immediately refuted the claim. The Liu Zhang before him might have once been perceived as weak-willed, but ever since he was elevated to the position of Governor of Yizhou, he had undergone a profound transformation. Both his temperament and his demeanor had become extraordinarily imposing.

He had once asked his father, Pang Jing, about this change. His father had explained that it was a matter of "position shaping the body and nourishment refining the spirit." High status alters a person's temperament, and the refinement of one's lifestyle alters their physical presence; assuming the governorship of Yizhou had fundamentally changed the young master.

However, Liu Zhang’s attitude toward him remained unchanged. He still treated him with the same closeness and care as he had when they were younger, which brought Pang Que great comfort.

Hearing Pang Que’s defense, Liu Zhang smiled slightly. Instead of engaging with the comment, he gestured to him: "Ziman, go and fetch the calling cards of those seeking an audience today. I wish to see who is worth meeting."

"Understood," Pang Que replied, bustling off with his characteristic haste.

Watching him leave, Liu Zhang shook his head. Why did no one believe him when he spoke the truth? His ability to secure the governorship and gain the recognition of the imperial court was entirely due to the reputation he had cultivated abroad.

A reputation for being weak and incompetent.

Liu Zhang had already figured out exactly why the imperial court had agreed to his appointment as Governor of Yizhou. If the current court were the true imperial government of the Han, they certainly would not have approved him. First, his perceived weakness would make it impossible for him to control a region as complex as Yizhou. Second, there was no precedent for a son to inherit the title of governor from his father; a provincial governorship was not an imperial throne.

But the current court was far from normal.

It was the first year of the Xingping era. The court, currently holed up in Chang'an, was controlled by the men of Liangzhou—specifically, the two scoundrels Li Jue and Guo Si. Dong Zhuo had been executed by Wang Yun in the third year of the Chuping era. After Dong Zhuo’s death, through the malicious schemes of the cunning strategist Jia Xu, Li Jue and Guo Si successfully counterattacked Chang'an, defeated Lu Bu, and killed Wang Yun, regaining control of the imperial government.

The Emperor of the Han, Emperor Xian—no, Liu Zhang shook his head. The title "Emperor Xian" was a posthumous honor for Liu Xie; as the Emperor was still alive, he could not yet be called that.

Liu Xie had only just escaped the tiger's den of Dong Zhuo a few days prior, only to fall into the wolf's den of the Liangzhou clique. Liu Xie’s word carried no weight; the approval of Liu Zhang’s appointment had undoubtedly come from the men who held the reins: Li Jue and Guo Si.

As for why they had agreed, one had to thank Liu Zhang’s ambitious father, Liu Yan.

His father, the former governor, had four sons. The eldest, Lieutenant-General Liu Fan, and the second, Court Secretary Liu Dan, were followed by Liu Mao, with Liu Zhang being the youngest.

Liu Mao had followed Liu Yan to Yizhou in the fifth year of the Zhongping era, while Liu Zhang had arrived in the second year of the Chuping era. The eldest and second sons had remained in Chang'an, acting as hostages and scouts for the court's movements.

It was also this year, in the third month of the first year of Xingping, that the General Who Conquers the West, Ma Teng, plotted an attack on Chang'an in collusion with Liu Yan. Liu Fan and Liu Dan, held as hostages in Chang'an, were to serve as internal agents. However, Ma Teng’s campaign failed, and he fled back to Huili.

Ma Teng might have escaped, but Liu Fan and Liu Dan could not; they were executed by Li Jue and Guo Si.

Liu Yan, devastated by the murder of his two eldest sons, fell ill with carbuncles and soon passed away.

Then came the push to have Liu Zhang installed as the new governor.

Li Jue and Guo Si, those two thieves, had just killed Liu Zhang’s brothers and were likely living in fear of retaliation. When they heard Liu Yan had died, they were relieved, yet still worried that the new governor might seek vengeance.

When the officials of Yizhou petitioned for Liu Zhang to succeed his father, Li Jue and Guo Si had every reason to agree. They had likely heard the rumors that Liu Yan’s youngest son was weak-willed and incapable of handling major responsibilities.

For Li Jue and Guo Si, such a man was the perfect choice. With him in charge, they would have no need to fear a threat from Yizhou.

Perhaps that was the true reason the court had approved his appointment.

Contemplating this, Liu Zhang felt a sense of irony. In normal times, no one would favor a weak and incompetent leader. But at this specific moment, the subordinates in Yizhou supported him, and his enemies, Li Jue and Guo Si, also supported him.

Everyone loved him, everyone cherished him, and everyone supported him.

The current Liu Zhang was beloved by all—so much so that he was like a flower that everyone wanted to pick, or perhaps, figuratively speaking, a presence so overwhelming that even the wheels of a cart would burst upon seeing him.

The "coward" had stumbled into every stroke of good fortune imaginable.

"Blessings and misfortunes are intertwined; one hides within the other." Liu Zhang thought that fate was truly unpredictable. Sometimes good turns to bad, and bad turns to good—Laozi was right in the *Tao Te Ching*.

A person’s destiny sometimes does not depend on individual effort, but on the tide of history, which can carry one to the pinnacle of life.

Just like now, though he was neither the eldest son nor a man of great virtue, he had ascended to the position of Governor of Yizhou. It was truly the spring of the cowards.

However, the ministers of Yizhou had miscalculated, and so had Li Jue and Guo Si. The weak and incompetent Liu Zhang they supported was gone; the current Liu Zhang was a modern soul from two thousand years in the future.

But they had nothing to fear. After all, as a modern man, Liu Zhang was a lover of peace.

Whatever issues arose in Yizhou, or in the world at large, people could sit down and talk them through. There was no need for constant slaughter.

Liu Zhang’s personal motto was: "The world is not about fighting and killing; the world is about human relationships and social sophistication."

***

Before long, the swift young Pang Que returned with a stack of bamboo calling cards, laying them before Liu Zhang for his selection.

These calling cards, the business cards of the Eastern Han, usually bore the visitor's name. But since the visitor was calling upon the Governor of Yizhou, most were seeking office or wealth, so they would add their home province and age, and if they held an official post, they would include that as well.

Liu Zhang’s predecessor had been weak-willed and rarely met with anyone after taking office. Having arrived in this body only a few days ago, Liu Zhang himself had yet to fully adapt and was wary of revealing any flaws. He feared meeting too many guests, so he limited himself to selecting only four or five a day.

Looking at the cards, Liu Zhang estimated there were about sixty hopefuls.

"When poor, one is ignored even in a bustling market; when rich, one has distant relatives even in the deep mountains," he sighed. Liu Zhang, who had rarely been visited, now found his gates crowded every day, even if he didn't grant an audience.

He picked up the bamboo slips and began to flip through them, hoping to find some talent.

What was most precious in the late Eastern Han? Talent! If Liu Zhang wanted to live safely in this chaotic era, he had to win hearts and recruit capable people.

After checking a few, he shook his head. He didn't recognize any of the names, and none were figures from history. It was too much trouble to meet them one by one like searching for a needle in a haystack; he didn't have the time.

As he patiently continued his search, intending to pick a few with pedigree, he suddenly stopped. The name on the card in his hand felt familiar.

The card read: "Native of Nanjun, Dong He, courtesy name Youzai." He likely held no official position, hence the lack of a title.

Few might have heard of Dong He, but anyone who had undergone nine years of compulsory education in his past life would know his son.

*"Attendants and advisors such as Guo Youzhi, Fei Yi, and Dong Yun are all honest, loyal, and pure of heart."* Memories from his past life surfaced in Liu Zhang’s mind.

Dong Yun.

Dong He’s son was Dong Yun, one of the "Four Ministers" of Shu alongside Zhuge Liang, Jiang Wan, and Fei Yi—a figure who appeared in the *Chu Shi Biao*.

Compared to his son, Dong He might not have been as famous, but his background and talent were well-known to Liu Zhang.

In history, due to the chaos of the world, Dong He had led his clan to migrate west to Yizhou. Under Liu Zhang, he served as the magistrate of Niupei and Jiangyuan, where he led by example and curtailed the trend of lavish extravagance in the region.

Later, he was appointed Governor of Yizhou, where he lived in harmony with the minority tribes and won their deep affection. In the nineteenth year of Jian'an, when Liu Bei conquered Yizhou, he appointed Dong He as a military advisor to work alongside Zhuge Liang in managing the government.

Zhuge Liang had praised Dong He highly, noting that in his seven years of service, if there was ever an error or oversight, Dong He would return ten times over to correct it. He was a diligent and loyal official.

This man was worth meeting. Liu Zhang handed the card to Pang Que and instructed, "Ziman, go and invite this man. I will meet him here."

Pang Que took the card, replied, "Understood," and hurried off toward the reception hall of the Governor's Mansion.