Zheng Qian's face was adorned with a smile as he chuckled and spoke!
"Lord Liu, by leading your troops this time, you have slain five hundred bandits, resolved the safety concerns of the people of Liye Township, and brought peace to the region. Your meritorious service is immense."
"What reward do you desire?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Jin's excitement grew. He had already prepared his words before coming, so he quickly stood up and bowed, saying!
"This subordinate was able to slay five hundred enemies and clear out the bandits, all thanks to the Prefect's brilliant and divine martial prowess, his proper command within the county, and his strategic planning. Only then could our army achieve such a great victory."
"All of this is the Prefect's Merit; this subordinate dares not claim it."
Zheng Qian, who was kneeling in the seat of honor, heard this barrage of flattery.
His heart trembled, and he felt a surge of hot blood and heroic spirit, as if this great victory had been orchestrated by him.
His entire face showed an air of complacency, clearly enjoying the lavish praise.
He was very pleased with this young man, knowing that he had attributed the credit to himself. After all, slaying five hundred enemies was a significant military achievement for him.
Moreover, there were four hundred heads. If he subtly manipulated the report to the court, claiming one or two thousand enemies slain would not be an exaggeration.
Even the Emperor would offer a few words of praise, and his future career would undoubtedly soar, with promotion and wealth within reach.
Zheng Qian burst into laughter, his satisfied voice resonating!
"This great victory was indeed commanded by me within the county."
"However, your performance, Liu Jin, in this battle was exceptionally brilliant. You led over a hundred men to bravely slay the enemy, achieving outstanding merit. This Prefect will absolutely not diminish your contributions."
Having said this, after a moment of contemplation, his voice continued!
"It just so happens that Yi County is still short of a Military Marquis. Your performance in this battle was extraordinarily brave. I will discuss it with the Prefect and have you appointed to this position."
Upon hearing of the position of Military Marquis, Liu Jin's eyes filled with excitement. It seemed that attributing the credit to Zheng Qian was a very correct decision.
After all, he was only a Tuncun; no matter how many enemies he killed, the credit could only go to Zheng Qian, the Prefect. It was better to proactively hand it over and gain his favor instead.
He constantly reminded himself not to show it, but he still couldn't suppress his trembling and excitement, which was evident on his face.
It should be known that a Military Marquis's official rank was six hundred shi, commanding at least four hundred troops, already considered a significant figure in the county.
In the county, he could be said to have absolute power; besides the county magistrate and a few county assistant magistrates, no one dared to provoke him.
Liu Jin immediately bowed deeply and said loudly!
"Thank you, Prefect, for your promotion. This humble one will never forget it and will always remember your kindness to me."
"If there is anything you need, just command, and this humble one will do his utmost to accomplish it."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Qian smiled and nodded. This was exactly what he wanted from this young man.
After all, the official position of Military Marquis was not low. Promoting him naturally meant he would become one of his subordinates. If he were disobedient, he could be replaced at any time.
Liu Jin pondered for a moment and continued!
"Prefect, several of my soldiers performed very bravely in this battle. Could their official positions also be promoted?"
Upon hearing this, Zheng Qian frowned, not expecting this young man to be so greedy, wanting to both eat and take.
He got promoted and still wanted to promote his subordinates as well.
Seeing this, Liu Jin knew that without offering some benefits, it would probably not be easy to promote Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Ergou, and others to higher official positions.
The Tuncun official position was not low, with an official rank of two hundred shi, and not everyone could hold it.
With a fawning expression, he continued!
"Prefect, could you dismiss everyone? This humble one has a private matter I'd like to discuss with you."
Zheng Qian, kneeling in the seat of honor, heard this and naturally knew what was happening. There was no anger on his face; instead, he smiled.
He immediately waved his hand.
Upon receiving the command, everyone retreated, even Zhao Ergou bowed and backed out.
In the main hall, only Zheng Qian and Liu Jin remained.
Liu Jin did not waste words but spoke directly!
"This humble one, in suppressing the mountain bandits, obtained unexpected wealth, a total of two hundred thousand coins, which I can hand over to the Prefect for disposal."
Upon hearing of the two hundred thousand coins, Zheng Qian's eyes revealed his greed, and the smile at the corner of his mouth could not be suppressed. This sum of two hundred thousand coins was not a small amount even for him, the Prefect.
Hearty laughter echoed through the hall.
"Good, good, good, you've done well, young man. This Prefect is very pleased."
Liu Jin chuckled, like a sycophantic minion, fawningly saying!
"Prefect, my soldiers' official positions..."
Before he could finish speaking, Zheng Qian, with a smile on his face, directly waved his hand and said!
"This small matter, you can handle it yourself. As long as it's not too excessive, this Prefect can accept it."
"As for the Tuncun troops in Liye Township, the mountain bandits have been eliminated, so there's no use for them to remain here. When the appointment document comes down, you can take these Tuncun troops and station them in Yi County."
Upon hearing these words, the heavy stone in Liu Jin's heart finally settled.
The matter was a complete success. Not only was his Military Marquis position secure, but even Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Ergou would at least secure a Tuncun position.
Without further delay, he immediately bowed deeply and said loudly!
"Then this humble one will take his leave first."
After saying this, he slowly backed out, stooping at the waist.
Liu Jin stood outside, looking at the bright sunlight, and let out a slight sigh of relief.
Zhao Ergou's face was extremely excited, and he quickly came over, eagerly saying!
"Big Brother, congratulations!"
Liu Jin waved his hand and said with a smile!
"Let's talk about it when we get back. Send up the two hundred thousand coins we prepared earlier."
Zhao Ergou quickly nodded and went to handle the matter, sending all the prepared money into the mansion.
After the matter was dealt with, Liu Jin took Zhao Ergou back to the former Zhang family residence.
Zhang Fei's former family assets had all been sold off and converted into money, leaving only this empty courtyard.
Guan Yu and dozens of soldiers were now living in this courtyard. As for the heads and captured bandits, they were handed over to Zheng Qian for disposal.
Whether they lived or died was not his concern.
However, there was no need to think about it; they would certainly all be killed by Zheng Qian and all counted as heads to be reported to the court for commendation.
After Liu Jin and Zhao Ergou returned to the courtyard, Guan Yu excitedly stepped forward and quickly asked!
"Big Brother, Fourth Brother, has the matter been handled?"
Zhao Ergou chuckled and said!
"Second Brother, it's done!"
"Not only has Big Brother's official position been promoted to Military Marquis, but even we have jumped several ranks, at least to the position of Tuncun."
Even the usually steady Guan Yu's face became more flushed, and his heart was filled with excitement, wishing he could jump up and cheer.
He hadn't expected that in just one month, he had gone from selling mung beans on the street to becoming a regional Tuncun.
If someone had told him this before.
"Guan Yu, in a month, you will definitely become an official of the court, serving as a Tuncun, commanding a hundred men."
He would have beaten that person to death. Even in his dreams, he wouldn't dare to have such an unrealistic dream, let alone be joked with in such a way.