Within Wangwu Mountain.
Liu Lu gazed at the letter in his hands, lost in thought for a long time.
That very day, he had received another order from the emperor.
Originally, Cao Mao had intended to use Liu Lu to purge the Great Clans across the land. In his fury, however, He Zeng had snatched Liu Lu's assignment outright and gone on a killing spree in all directions.
Liu Lu and his men had suddenly found themselves with little use.
The Inspectors Cao Mao had now stationed throughout the land were all formidable men. Anyone who dared prey on the common people would get more than a taste of their severity.
Having received no new appointment, Liu Lu had settled down in the mountains, building good relationships with the local chiefs, establishing his authority, and steadily developing his position there.
That very day, he had finally received the emperor's letter.
Cao Mao's letters to Liu Lu were extremely straightforward. Liu Lu's education was limited, and he had only just finished learning to read, so his correspondence with the emperor was simple and plain.
In the letter, Cao Mao told Liu Lu that his assignment had changed.
Cao Mao intended to have Liu Lu find some clever, capable men in the mountains and send them throughout the realm to establish an Office of Affairs in every region.
These Offices of Affairs would have no actual premises. It was merely a name.
These men could pursue different occupations wherever they went. They could become government runners, merchants, or even farmers. Anything would do.
Their main task, however, was to gather news and intelligence from every region and keep the emperor informed of events there at all times.
The School Affairs operatives of Cao Cao's time had maintained their own premises in each