Chapter 166: Exceptional Promotion, Borrowing a Knife to Kill Anxian is Qin Zhen’s last stop on this journey south. But it's not just the last stop, because it's not done yet. Not to mention the long-term consequences, after entering the city, one will be responsible for stabilizing the situation, prohibiting soldiers from looting while not causing resentment among his soldiers. In addition, it is necessary to deal with the prisoners and win over the hearts of the people. Mei Cheng’s matter also needs to be dealt with! He was not going to keep this person. But now, because he had made Mei Cheng deceive the enemy, he suddenly became a meritorious official. Entering a city and killing meritorious officials has always been a bad thing, so he needs a gunman. So after entering the city, Qin Zhen did not rest, but directly asked Qiao Rui to call Mei Qian over. Speaking of Mei Qian, accompanying him on this expedition was really a good experience for him.

Qin Zhen did not use him when he attacked Chen Ce. There is no use for him in capturing Lujiang now! But Mei Qian had no complaints until he was called into the mansion by Qin Zhen. He was still respectful and bowed as soon as he entered the hall: "Mei Qian, your humble servant, greets the military advisor!" Seeing Mei Qian bowing, Qin Zhen couldn't help but smile and said: "General Mei has been in our army for several months. During these months, I have only asked him to do some chores. I wonder if he can blame me?" Mei Qian heard this and said in a deep voice: "I once said that I am willing to surrender, but I am afraid you will not believe me." "It is because I was a commoner at first, and later joined Yuan Shu. Although I was entrusted with important tasks, I did not have a good reputation." "Your Excellency started your career with benevolence and always put benevolence and righteousness first, so you should be worried." "Although I have no special talents, I know this matter and should not blame others." "The military advisor is very observant and holds an important position. His ability to command troops is beyond my reach." "Whatever the military advisor has entrusted me with, it has his deep intentions. How can I complain?" "Furthermore, the fact that the military advisor can lead me to the battle this time shows that he is willing to use me again. This favor is like a rebirth. I cannot thank him enough, so how dare I complain?" His words were extremely sincere, and they directly expressed his attitude. I know exactly what kind of person I am. My lord must have his own reasons for not using me, and I can understand that. It is a great favor for the military advisor to use me this time. Now I am doing chores and also conducting an inspection. I haven't even had time to thank you, so how can I blame the military advisor? Qin Zhen felt relieved after hearing these words. He really wanted to grab Mei Cheng's ears and listen. This was the attitude a surrender should have! As a surrendered general, the most important thing is to have self-knowledge and to remain content no matter how you are employed. Only by doing things steadily can you gain the trust of your superiors. Instead of jumping up and down every day, rushing to take credit for your own achievements. Qiao Rui understood this principle, Mei Qian understood it, and even Lei Bu understood it.

But Mei Cheng may never understand it in his entire life. While thinking, Qin Zhen smiled slightly and said: "It's no wonder that Yuan Shu stationed a general in Xiang County before. Now it seems that the general is indeed capable of being a general!" "I will not hide it from you, General. This expedition is just an excuse to observe you two." "From what I can see now, the general has indeed made up his mind." "So after returning from this trip, I want to write to you, my lord, to recommend you as the lieutenant of Lujiang County, and to assist Qiao Rui in guarding Lujiang. What do you think?" When Mei Qian heard this, his expression changed. He originally thought that because of his special status and his cunning behavior, it would be difficult for him to station troops outside. Who would have thought that Qin Zhen would actually use him to assist Qiao Rui in guarding Lujiang? Although he is only a deputy, which is not as good as his previous position, it is still an exceptional promotion after all! Facing Qin Zhen's question, he thought for a while, then said worriedly: "But I have not accomplished anything and I am a surrendered general. How can I be in this position?" After declining like this, Qin Zhen smiled again and said: "If what you said is true, I am not qualified to be the military advisor!" "When I first joined your army, I had not accomplished anything, but I am still in a high position, right?" "Don't worry. I'm not trying to test you. Lujiang is adjacent to Jiangdong and Jingzhou. The terrain is very important and needs a good general to guard it." "General Qiao is a steady man and can govern this place, but he still needs a good assistant." "I see that the general is cautious in his actions, and he was quite capable in guarding Xiang County in the past. Now that he has surrendered sincerely, he will be of great use!" "Don't underestimate yourself. If you are willing to accept it, then accept it. If you are not willing to accept it, I will let someone else accept it!" When Mei Qian heard this, his doubts disappeared and he hurriedly bowed and said: "Thank you for your trust, Military Advisor. I am willing to take on this mission!" "This is the way to be a general!" Qin Zhen smiled again, then knocked on the table with his hand and said: "Now that we have finished talking about the main business, let's talk about Mei Cheng's matter!" "I wonder what the general thinks of your brother. How should I deal with him?" After he finished speaking, Mei Qian's expression turned rather cold and stern. "This thief should be killed!" As for why he behaved like this, it was mainly because Qin Zhen had already told him what Mei Cheng had secretly reported to him that day. When Mei Qian heard this, he felt a lump of anger stuck in his heart and he couldn't say it out. You know, he has done his best for Mei Cheng! If Mei Cheng had not urged him to go to the battle, they might not have been defeated so inexplicably in the battle of Xiang County. But even so, he did not blame Mei Cheng for it.

Later, he joined Liu Bei's army, and he was disgusted by all of Mei Cheng's actions. If he had not become a prisoner at that time, he would have kicked Mei Cheng back to his hometown to farm! Later, just when everything seemed to be getting better, this guy started to cause trouble. Not only did you take the credit without telling me, but you even had the guts to stab me back! If Qin Zhen had not been so cautious in employing people, if it were someone else, his grave would probably be overgrown with grass by now. In this situation, let alone his cousin, he would show no mercy even to his brother. So when Qin Zhen asked him, he directly stated that Mei Cheng should be killed! Mei Qian's reaction was naturally within Qin Zhen's expectations, but as a military advisor, he couldn't speak directly, so he simply pretended to sigh: "To be honest, I don't want to use this boy either, but he has made great contributions in taking Lujiang this time, so it is unreasonable not to harm him!" When Mei Qian heard this, he immediately shouted: "Since the military advisor cannot be executed, are we going to let him continue to get away with it?" In fact, after hearing Qin Zhen's words that day, he intended to kill Mei Cheng. But he was stopped by Qin Zhen, who said that Mei Cheng was still useful and should not be killed. But now, seeing that the Lujiang incident had been settled and Qin Zhen was still unwilling to take action, he became a little anxious. Should Mei Cheng’s life be spared just because of his merits? Based on his understanding of Mei Cheng, he knew that he had stabbed him once before and might stab him again in the future, so he absolutely could not let him go. He didn't know what Qin Zhen was thinking, and thought Qin Zhen was talking about being brothers, so he hurriedly said: "If the military advisor is afraid, I am willing to take action on your behalf!" "If the lord blames me in the future, I will bear the consequences!" However, Qin Zhen was waiting for this sentence. Hearing this, he pretended to frown and said: "Does the general really want to kill his own brothers?" Mei Qian was about to nod when he saw this, but after thinking for a while, he felt something was wrong and hurriedly bowed and said: "It's not a personal grudge, it's because of my lord's concern!" "Although Mei Cheng is my brother, he is just as the military advisor said, he has a rebellious nature and is born to be rebellious." "Now that I have received this achievement, if I report it to the lord tomorrow, and the lord does not reward me, it would be unfair. If I let him lead the army, I will suffer." "In this case, it would be better to take advantage of the chaos and find an opportunity to kill him, so as to prevent him from causing trouble in the future!" "It is inconvenient for the military advisor to do this, but I can serve you on your behalf!" But as soon as he finished speaking, Qin Zhen shook his head again and said: "Although this is for the public good, it is not allowed!" "Not to mention that Mei Cheng cannot be killed without authorization, even if the general kills Mei Cheng, he should be punished!" "I want to treat the general as a general, but I can't treat the general like this!"

Seeing this, Mei Qian became anxious for a moment, thinking that Qin Zhen was good in every way except that he was a little rigid. Now that he had just entered the city, he just had to act secretly and blame it on the rebel army. Who would know about it? Thinking of this, he wanted to speak again, but saw Qin Zhen stand up and say: "But the general's words do remind me of one thing. Wan County has just been settled and is quite chaotic!" "Let's not talk about others for now, but Liu Xun's family must be protected and no one should be allowed to attack them!" "I heard that Liu Xun had many beautiful wives and concubines, and he even kept dancers in his mansion." "I want the general to lead the troops to protect us. Anyone who wants to harm our family must not be spared!" "Don't let others think that we are the kind of people who bully the younger ones!" "Although this matter is small, it is important. I wonder if the general is willing to take on this task?" When Mei Qian heard this, he was stunned. He thought, Mei Cheng's matter has not been dealt with yet, so why is he taking care of Liu Xun's family? He was about to persuade Qin Zhen to let him take action again, but when he changed his mind, his body trembled. You must know that although Liu Xun's family is important, it only needs to send soldiers to guard it strictly. Why does he need to lead the troops to garrison there in person? Moreover, Qin Zhen specifically emphasized that he should severely punish those who were planning to commit crimes. Could it be that he was asked to kill Mei Cheng on this grounds? Thinking of this, he suddenly understood! Indeed, now that Mei Cheng has made great contributions, whether he is beheaded or assassinated, there are problems. But if Mei Cheng becomes complacent with his achievements and commits crimes again, he can be punished. At that time, Qin Zhen could just pretend he didn't know, make a few criticisms, and then lightly let the matter go. He doesn't need to do it himself, he just needs to let his subordinates do it. Once Mei Cheng dies, he can say that his subordinates are ignorant and get himself out of the way as well! After all, he is the eldest brother, so who can blame him if he just pretends to be sad and crying. Then naturally, the impact of this matter can be ignored. On the contrary, if their army killed a general for this matter, it would not only deter the generals under his command from committing the same crime again. Once the news gets out, everyone will have to praise Liu Bei's army for its benevolence and righteousness! Not only can he find an excuse to get rid of Mei Cheng, but he can also bring honor to Liu Bei and Qin Zhen, and prevent him from being harmed. It can be said that he kills three birds with one stone! When Mei Qian reached this point in his thoughts, he looked at Qin Zhen's back again and felt a chill in his heart. He just thought Qin Zhen was rigid, but now it seems that Qin Zhen is really very tight in his work! From the beginning till now, there has not been a single word asking him to kill Mei Cheng. But every decision was pushing him to kill Mei Cheng! First he was given the position to promise him benefits, then he mentioned Mei Cheng to arouse his hatred, and finally he set up a trap to get himself out! If successful, Qin Zhen will not have any responsibility. If failed, Mei Cheng cannot sue Qin Zhen. This trick of using a knife to kill someone is really skillfully done! Mei Qian was not a gentleman. After thinking everything through, he expressed his opinion to Qin Zhen:

"I obey your orders, Military Advisor, rest assured that I will not let anyone into the mansion and cause Liu Xun's family to be humiliated!" Seeing that he did not ask any more questions, Qin Zhen knew that Mei Qian had understood what he meant, so he nodded and said: "In that case, General, you may go. I will prepare a banquet in my mansion tomorrow, and you must attend!" Mei Qian saw this and nodded hurriedly, knowing that Qin Zhen was telling him when to take action: "I will attend the banquet tomorrow after everything is arranged!" Then he took the order and retreated outside. After meeting Mei Qian, Qin Zhen met with Chen Ce, Mei Cheng, Qiao Rui and others again, commending them one by one to appease the people. He then met with Dong Qian, Zhou Tiao, Kou Cai and others. Among Liu Xun's ministers, who did he find most interesting was undoubtedly Dong Qian! After entering the city, he knew that Dong Qian had given Liu Xun advice many times. Although I didn't see through his plan, he is still a smart man. However, Zhou Tiao, the minor official, was not a bad person and was quite capable. So he met with everyone in person, and took Dong Qian and Zhou Tiao by his side as minor officials. The only person he lost interest in was Kou Cai. He only took one look at him and thought he was a sinister villain, so he simply let him stay by Mei Cheng's side and deal with him together. After doing all this, Qin Zhen fell asleep. He didn't get up until the sun was high in the sky, and as soon as he got up, he received an invitation from Qiao Rui. (End of this chapter)