Inside the government office!
Lu Zhi sat at the head of the table, picked up a cup of scalding tea, took a small sip, and then placed it on the table.
He looked at Zong Yuan, his deputy, and slowly began to speak!
"Liu Jin has achieved such great merit. He is indeed brave and skilled in battle, possessing the qualities of a famous General."
"This makes General very fond of him."
Zong Yuan, sitting at the lower seat, nodded upon hearing this, his opinion of Liu Jin rising even further.
One cannot underestimate these Generals who came from county troops. Although they haven't experienced major battles like the court's border army, they have indeed shown outstanding qualities since the suppression of the Yellow Turban.
After a moment of contemplation, Zong Yuan opened his mouth and asked!
"General, since this merit has been achieved, we must report it as soon as possible to gladden the officials in the court and His Majesty, and also to boost the morale of the Han Army in various regions and suppress the Yellow Turban's morale."
Lu Zhi nodded upon hearing this and said with a smile!
"With such military achievements, it is natural to report it as soon as possible, which will also reassure His Majesty, lest he constantly urge us to quickly suppress the Yellow Turban."
Zong Yuan hesitated upon hearing this, but still asked!
"However, how should we report it? Should we write that General commanded well and presided over this great battle, or should we report Liu Jin's matter as it is?"
Lu Zhi frowned upon hearing this, naturally understanding the meaning of Zong Yuan's words.
If he wrote that he commanded, most of the credit would fall on him. After all, he commanded well, suppressing thirty thousand Yellow Turbans and beheading the bandit leader Zhang Liang.
Conversely, Liu Jin, the hero of this battle, would be overshadowed by him. Although he would have some credit, it wouldn't be as heaven-defying.
If everything were reported as it was, most of the credit would go to Liu Jin, and he, as the main General, would at most get a little.
He fell into deep thought. To say that he wasn't coveting this military achievement was impossible.
As long as he obtained all these military achievements, with his prestige and position in the court, an imperial decree of ennoblement would arrive immediately.
That would mean wearing a golden seal and purple ribbon, which held a very strong allure for court nobles and aristocrats like them.
Because since the Han Dynasty, those without military achievements could not be ennobled, so the marquisate was very valuable.
But in doing so, he would be letting Liu Jin down and also ruin his reputation in the army. After all, seizing the credit of his subordinate Generals could easily lead to much slander.
After a moment of hesitation, he sighed softly and said!
"Just report it as it is. General does not need to seize the credit of his subordinate General. If it spreads, it will also harm my reputation."
Zong Yuan, upon hearing this, naturally knew that Lu Zhi cherished his reputation and did not want to earn the bad name of seizing a subordinate's credit.
He couldn't help but step forward to persuade him!
"Lord Lu, this great merit before you would be a real pity to give up."
"Moreover, Liu Jin is just a minor Sima. What is there to talk about seizing credit? As long as you give the order, who in the army would dare to say no?"
"Please, Lord Lu, think twice. Do not make a decision so quickly."
Lu Zhi frowned upon hearing this, his face showing anger, and he coldly shouted!
"Boda, what do you mean by this? Do you want me to commit such an unrighteous act?"
"The credit was established by Liu Jin. It is only right to report the matter as it is. How can it be arbitrarily usurped?"
"If it spreads, how will the soldiers in the army view it? How can I still have the face to command the three armies and serve the court?"
Zong Yuan, seeing Lu Zhi's angry expression, quickly lowered his head, wanting to continue persuading him from the side!
"Lord Lu, this..."
Lu Zhi did not wait for the other party to finish speaking, he quickly waved his hand and said coldly!
"There is no need to say more about this matter. I will report the situation to the court exactly as it is. Since I am Liu Jin's main General, the credit rewarded by the court will naturally not be small."
"If you speak another word, you will be dealt with by military law."
Zong Yuan saw that Lu Zhi was determined not to embezzle the credit, and if he continued to persuade, he might provoke his wrath.
He couldn't help but sigh, and could only reluctantly agree to the matter.
He hid some of his ulterior motives. In fact, he also had selfish reasons, wanting Lu Zhi to receive these merits. As his deputy, he would naturally not be left out.
He might even be able to bask in Lu Zhi's glory and be ennobled as a marquis. Even if not, his own official position could advance, which is why he wanted to persuade Lu Zhi to take all the credit.
However, after this incident, his respect for Lu Zhi grew even stronger. To be able to resist the temptation of such world-renowned merit, perhaps only Lord Lu in the entire Han Dynasty could do it.
It was quite fortunate for him to be his deputy.
Lu Zhi saw that his deputy, Zong Yuan, had settled down, and naturally understood his thoughts. It seemed he needed to advance quickly and win a few impressive battles to ensure all his subordinate soldiers received credit.
Otherwise, these minor skirmishes would never be significant enough, and the court would not bestow any rewards.
Especially the longer it dragged on, the more anxious and impatient the army Generals would become seeing others achieve merit. This was not good for him and could even lead to instability in the army.
After a moment of contemplation, he slowly said!
"Order the army to rest in the city for three days. After recuperating, continue north to eliminate the bandit leader Zhang Jiao as soon as possible and pacify the people of Jizhou."
Zong Yuan quickly bowed and cupped his hands, saying!
"This subordinate obeys. I will go and instruct all the Generals in the army to rest well and head north as soon as possible."
Five days later!
Outside Baixiang County, in the military camp, the sound of soldiers drilling could be heard from time to time.
Liu Jin sat on a small stool, enjoying the sunshine, looking quite relaxed and leisurely.
Watching Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Han Dang, and others drill the soldiers was a kind of enjoyment.
His three thousand soldiers, after these successive battles, had already transformed into elites. Moreover, the captured armor, elite weapons, and so on, were preferentially equipped by his army.
Therefore, over a thousand of these three thousand soldiers were already wearing armor, and in terms of equipment, they were comparable to the Han Dynasty's border army.
In terms of combat effectiveness, they would probably be even stronger, especially since he had Zhang Fei, Guan Yu, Han Dang, and others leading them. They were all fierce Generals of their time, brave and skilled in battle, which would greatly boost the army's morale.
Liu Jin stretched and yawned, looking a bit tired.
Ever since he pacified the thirty thousand Yellow Turbans and beheaded Zhang Liang, he had been too happy to sleep for the past two days.
He felt a bit drowsy during the day, but now it was better, as he slowly let this joy subside.
After all, he had only beheaded Zhang Liang. Although it was some merit, it wasn't overly exaggerated.
If he could be like Huangfu Song in history, as a Central Protector-General, leading the Han Army, fighting from south to north, winning battle after battle, and relentlessly slaughtering.
Even two of the Zhang brothers died at his hands. If Zhang Jiao hadn't died so quickly, he probably would have died at his hands too.
Strictly speaking, the Yellow Turban could be quickly pacified thanks to Huangfu Song, who used his troops like a god, winning battle after battle.
If another person were to be added, it would be Zhu Jun, who also showed very strong capabilities and established much merit in pacifying the Yellow Turban.