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The authority wielded by a Han Dynasty commandery governor was terrifyingly vast.
The position of a governor was comparable to the Nine Ministers of the central government, a high-ranking official with a salary of two thousand dan of grain. During the Qin Dynasty, the empire was divided into commanderies and counties for administration, and this system was inherited by the Han Dynasty.
It could be said that the governors of commanderies were not much inferior to the feudal lords appointed from the imperial clan. Emperor Xuan of Han once remarked, "The reason the common people can live peacefully in their fields without sighs of sorrow or resentment is solely due to the presence of good two-thousand-dan officials." This speaks volumes about their influence.
A governor, with a rank of two thousand dan, would often be directly promoted to one of the Nine Ministers if his governance was outstanding. Conversely, ministers who left central politics were often appointed as governors. Their power was immense: they could recommend the appointment or dismissal of county magistrates, personally appoint or remove subordinate officials within their commandery from among its local population, and held the Tiger Tally and Bamboo Tallies, which granted them control over the local garrison.
In essence, a governor was a super-official in the Han Dynasty's local administration, wielding executive, military, and judicial powers all at once. Thus, a commandery governor was akin to a warlord of later eras—if the central court's control weakened even slightly, they would stir up trouble. By now, this had led to situations like "the many warlords joining forces against Dong Zhuo."
The Han central government had not given up on treating this "disease" of excessive gubernatorial power. Initially, they prescribed the "medicine" of regional inspectors (cishi), appointing many young men to the position to counterbalance the governors. However, over time, these inspectors shifted from being centrally appointed to locally recommended, transforming from supervisory roles into local administrative positions and losing their original purpose.
During Emperor Ling's reign, Liu Yan, a member of the imperial clan, submitted a memorial proposing that imperial relatives and high-ranking ministers be appointed as provincial shepherds (zhou mu), granting them authority above both inspectors and governors to stabilize the populace. This was called "abolishing inspectors and establishing shepherds." It was this same Liu Yan who officially became the first provincial shepherd, the Shepherd of Yi Province.
Both provincial shepherds and inspectors held positions superior to local governors. Under the initial system of central appointment and rotation, inspectors had little connection with local officials, adhering strictly to the "Six Imperial Edicts for Inspecting Provinces." But now, shepherds and inspectors often encroached on the powers of governors, meddling in military affairs and becoming new, even larger regional warlords.
Where there was a struggle for power, resistance inevitably arose. Thus, the relationship between local governors and inspectors had always been one of uneasy alliance—sharing the same pair of pants when interests aligned, but turning hostile the moment interests diverged.
Therefore, Zhang Miao deliberately befriended Kong Zhou and tricked Fei Qian into staying at Suanzao precisely to counter the newly arrived Inspector of Yan Province, Liu Dai.
At this moment, Fei Qian was still unaware of this issue.
In his mind, he still believed, "How could Yuan Shao possibly not come for such a major event? This is the Suanzao Alliance!" So, the next day, Fei Qian found a plot of land east of Zhang Miao's camp and set up his own small encampment.
Originally, Fei Qian's first goal in coming to Suanzao was to witness the earliest batch of rising talents of the era. His second goal was naturally to find a way to sneak into Luoyang.
But the warlords at Suanzao had yet to gather. How could this possibly draw Dong Zhuo's attention? This made Fei Qian somewhat anxious.
Speaking of which, where is Cao Cao, Cao Mengde?
Sun Jian hasn't come—could it be that Cao Cao hasn't arrived either?
Sitting in his camp, Fei Qian couldn't help but recall that, after paying respects to his master in Luoyang, he had only seen Cao Cao a handful of times before Cao Cao's failed attempt to rescue the emperor and subsequent flight from the capital...
Moreover, with nothing else to do, Fei Qian mulled over the current situation repeatedly and suddenly realized something troubling. He wanted to discuss it with Cao Cao—firstly, because Cao Cao was, in a way, his senior fellow disciple, and secondly, because Cao Cao's military prowess was no mere boast...
Just as Fei Qian was muttering to himself, Huang Cheng entered the tent and reported, "Envoy Fei, a contingent of troops has arrived from the southeast, numbering around four to five thousand, flying a banner with the character 'Cao.'"
Fei Qian was stunned. Speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao arrives—does this Cao Mengde truly possess some kind of instant teleportation ability across the entire map?
When Fei Qian stepped out of his camp gate, he saw from a distance a group of cavalry already at the entrance of Zhang Miao's camp, with Cao Cao at their center.
Cao Cao dismounted and was speaking with Zhang Miao. Both men wore smiles, suggesting they were on good terms.
Fei Qian hurried forward.
Zhang Miao turned and saw Fei Qian approaching. Just as he was about to introduce him, Cao Cao unexpectedly exclaimed, "Ziyuan, you're here too?"
Zhang Miao's eyebrows twitched, and he asked Cao Cao in confusion, "Mengde, you and Ziyuan... know each other?"
"This is the new disciple my master recently took—Fei Qian, Fei Ziyuan!"
Zhang Miao suddenly understood. He pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed, "Living in such a remote place has dulled my senses! Had Mengde not mentioned it, I would have remained discourteous!" With that, he bowed deeply to Fei Qian in apology.
Fei Qian naturally sidestepped, unwilling to accept the gesture, and said, "I am but an insignificant man—how could I possibly accept such a grand gesture from the Governor of Chenliu? You flatter me too much!"
Oh, right—Chenliu!
Fei Qian suddenly realized why Zhang Miao's demeanor had shifted so dramatically from yesterday's polite but slightly distant attitude. It all made sense now—Cai Yong, his master, was a native of Yu County in Chenliu Commandery, a renowned scholar of Yan Province...
This world truly has no such thing as unconditional goodwill!
With this connection established, Zhang Miao's attitude toward Fei Qian improved markedly. He invited both Cao Cao and Fei Qian into his camp and ordered his subordinates to prepare tea.
Kong Zhou and Zhang Chao stood at the entrance of the main tent to welcome them. Cao Cao quickly stepped forward and exchanged greetings.
Zhang Miao laughed heartily and pulled Fei Qian forward, recounting the earlier exchange at the camp gate. He then said, "Tonight, allow me to host a banquet for Mengde and Ziyuan. I hope Governor Kong will honor us with your presence."
Kong Zhou, also a native of Chenliu, held Cai Yong in high esteem. Clapping his hands, he replied, "Naturally, I would not miss it. However, Ziyuan has been hiding his connections—he must be punished with three cups of wine for that!"
Kong Zhou's teasing drew laughter and agreement from the others...
Zhang Miao was genuinely pleased. Initially, he had tricked Fei Qian into staying to borrow some of Liu Biao's prestige when Inspector Liu Dai arrived. But now, discovering that Fei Qian was Cai Yong's disciple changed everything—their relationship instantly became far more significant, and Zhang Miao felt his standing grow even firmer.
Kong Zhou, Zhang Miao, and Zhang Chao had all been stationed locally and had not visited Luoyang recently, so they were unaware of Fei Qian's discipleship under Cai Yong. After all, when Fei Qian became a disciple, he was not yet an official, merely a reserve candidate. Such matters were not recorded in court bulletins...
As the group exchanged glances, they all felt a newfound closeness and politely ushered one another into the main tent.
However, when it came time to arrange seating, Fei Qian was taken aback...
*****
A/N: Cao Cao's talent is no exaggeration. If you don't believe it, just say his name twice—and he'll appear right behind you...