Three Kingdoms Mythology World.

Chapter 2673 Li Ru Clears the Fog

Although the Gongsun family left Youzhou due to Gongsun Zan's rapid rise to power, Youzhou remained their base; only their center of development had shifted.

Now, Lin Mu and Cai Yong are vigorously reforming the officialdom in Youzhou and implementing reform plans, which means a reshuffling of the power structure and a redistribution of interests in Youzhou.

This is a huge cake, extremely tempting.

Outsiders can't profit from this, but Gongsun Zan, a meritorious official of the Gongsun family and General Who Conquers the South, is a close friend of General Lin Mu, the Guards General. Surely he could benefit from this?! He should at least be given some face…

Thus, several outstanding members of the Gongsun family, tempted by profit and power and encouraged by certain individuals, returned to Youzhou, hoping to take center stage there.

The first one is Gongsun Du, courtesy name Shengji. He moved to Xuantu County with his father when he was young. He was initially a minor official in Xuantu, and later rose to the position of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat and Governor of Ji Province. He was later dismissed from office.

His ability is evident from his appointment as the governor of Ji Province.

He returned to Youzhou not for any other reason than to take up the post of Prefect of Liaodong.

Just three days ago, on the recommendation of his fellow townsman Xu Rong, he was appointed by Dong Zhuo as the governor of Liaodong.

The second one is Gongsun Yue, courtesy name Zhongqi. He was Gongsun Zan's younger brother. He was known for his bravery from a young age. He joined the army under the General Who Conquers the South and made many military achievements. He was highly valued by Gongsun Zan.

Gongsun Zan's reluctance to heavily rely on Zhao Yun was not without reason. He had many of his own clansmen under his command who were not incompetent; they were capable warriors and quite brave, sufficient to meet his immediate needs. Why would he prioritize Zhao Yun over them? The later battles were too terrifying, and those who couldn't keep up declined, lacking staying power. This is also why Gongsun Zan was strong in the early stages but weak in the later ones.

Gongsun Yue planned to take advantage of the political changes in Youzhou to seize the position of governor of Liaodong Commandery, so as to control military and political power.

Liaodong Commandery is, after all, Gongsun Zan's hometown, and it must be managed well. Let's take advantage of this opportunity to make some plans.

Although Gongsun Yue is young, he is quite ambitious and intends to use his family's influence to establish himself in the local area and expand his power.

Another clan that emerged was the powerful Zhang clan.

The Zhang family had long operated their own businesses in Youzhou, possessing considerable land and commercial connections. Zhang Shiping, a prominent merchant in Youzhou, was a member of the Zhang family.

Zhang Ju and Zhang Chun, who had previously rebelled, were also members of the Zhang clan.

Even earlier, the three brothers Zhang Jiao, Zhang Bao, and Zhang Liang were also members of the Zhang clan...

During the Han Dynasty, the Zhang family, though not as famous as the Yuan, Chen, Xun, or Yang families, was still a large and deeply rooted clan with numerous branches. Members of this family made quite a stir, but unfortunately, they were unlucky and lacked the virtue to match their positions, ultimately leading to tragic ends.

Dong Zhuo, that scoundrel, directly appointed several of Zhang's sons as officials in Youzhou, and Zhang readily accepted...

Initially, the Zhang family was very excited and willing to follow the Dragon Court's orders. However, Zhang Shiping, a wealthy merchant from Youzhou, directly intervened and quelled the restless Zhang clan members. He had long been loyal to Lin Mu; why would he listen to Dong Zhuo...

After the showdown, the Zhang family of Youzhou secretly pledged allegiance to Lin Mu.

On the surface, they were Dong Zhuo's men, preparing to stir up trouble.

Another prominent clan is the Xianyu family.

Dong Zhuo directly appointed Xianyu Yin and Xianyu Fu as the governor and commandant of Liaoxi, respectively, giving them control of Liaoxi Commandery.

Xianyu Yin and Xianyu Fu were both officials under Liu Yu. They were also captured by Lin Mu during the Battle of Zhuo County.

Lin Mu later released them, and a few days later Dong Zhuo bestowed titles upon them... This shows how ridiculous the whole situation was.

Even a wise man could see that Dong Zhuo did not want Lin Mu to completely control Youzhou.

In addition, other local powerful families were also causing trouble.

Like other prefectures, most of the fertile land in Youzhou was controlled by powerful clans. Cai Yong encouraged the people to cultivate wasteland and develop agricultural production, which gave many farm laborers on manors who were originally dependent on local powerful clans new options, freeing them from complete dependence. This touched a nerve with them; how could they not object?!

Moreover, the talents trained by Xingguan School may also impact the influence of local powerful families in the area.

Most importantly, the rectification of the officialdom and the military directly hit their Achilles' heel.

Many local powerful families and scholars held positions in the prefectures and counties. Although they weren't high-ranking officials or famous figures, they still wielded considerable influence through the support and connections of various parties. The current crackdown directly cut off their escape route and their influence; how could they not be furious?!

They were unwilling to see their advantageous position gradually replaced, so they were also full of resistance to the reform plan of Youzhou.

When Lin Mu first entered Youzhou, he didn't undertake any sweeping reforms to the Youzhou system; they all remained in hiding... But things are different now.

Dissatisfied local powerful clans began to secretly plot against the implementation of the Youzhou reform plan. On the one hand, they used their local influence to incite some uninformed people to cause trouble, creating difficulties for Cai Yong's work. On the other hand, they also sent people to collude with some surrounding forces, attempting to introduce external forces to counterbalance Lin Mu and Cai Yong.

This is internal trouble; external trouble refers to external forces, such as Dong Zhuo's actions.

Cai Yong was certainly aware of the subtle moves by these powerful clans. He knew he couldn't take too harsh a approach with them, otherwise it might trigger even greater unrest.

As for the Gongsun family, their good relationship with Lin Mu is a matter of political connections, and they should not easily antagonize them.

Just as Cai Yong was preparing to handle these matters with appeasement, Lin Mu directly and forcefully stated his position:
1. Get the Gongsun family out of here!
2. The official positions promoted by the court controlled by Dong Zhuo are not recognized by the Governor's Office of Youzhou!

3. If local powerful clans cause trouble, suppress them directly and forcefully, punish them for colluding with foreign clans, and reclaim their land!

4. The rectification of officialdom and the military must not stop, but should be carried out even more rigorously!

5. Issue a recruitment notice, welcoming talented scholars to apply themselves or be recommended, and also welcoming those with special skills and expertise in secondary professions to join!
6. Players (otherworldly beings) will be selected based on merit. Those with ability will be promoted, even to positions such as prefect or commandant. As long as they manage effectively, they can be chosen!

7. Taxation. Indigenous residents and players pay the same tax rate.

8, ... 9, ...

……

A series of dozens of new policies for governing Youzhou were released. Lin Mu's stance was public, so many people knew about it.

This was also the first time Lin Mu had acted so forcefully.

Clearly, Lin Mu was determined to seize Youzhou.

Compared to Youzhou, Qingzhou is much milder.

The situation in Qingzhou was always orchestrated by Guo Jia. He had plans for the Buqi Academy, the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and various bandit groups.

Xun Shuang, the governor of Qingzhou, was originally the governor of Qingzhou. He had already begun to reorganize the officialdom and army of Qingzhou, but he did not have much say in the appointment of prefects and commanders in various counties.

Now that he's the governor, he's dismissed all the disobedient prefects and commanders and replaced them with his own people.

As for the resurgence of the Yellow Turban Rebellion and the bandits of Qingzhou, that's even simpler.

The purge operation, which began simultaneously with the one in Youzhou, quickly yielded results.

The remnants of the Yellow Turban Rebellion surrendered directly to the Qingzhou Governor's Office, numbering a staggering 28 million!

The period of greatest expansion was during the time when drought plagued the land, leaving the people impoverished and hungry, and with no other choice, they joined the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

Of course, most of these 28 million Yellow Turban soldiers were just there to make up the numbers; they weren't even considered logistics soldiers...

These people were originally supposed to be gradually transferred back to the Great Wilderness Territory during the Dong Zhuo Rebellion, but unexpectedly, Dong Zhuo gave them the position of Governor of Qingzhou, so the plan changed, and they were directly placed under the jurisdiction of the Governor of Qingzhou.

Those with fighting ability were organized into the local militia to guard the cities within Qingzhou. Those without strength, such as farmers, fishermen, and other craftsmen, returned to their original professions to contribute to Qingzhou.

After a selection process, only three million soldiers were available, and they were all organized into the Fubing (府兵, a type of military unit).

These three million soldiers began to flow into the cities controlled by the Qingzhou Governor's Office.

……

"What? You're saying that after Xun Shuang became the governor of Qingzhou, he recruited scholars from Qingzhou as persuaders, and used their power to directly convince the remnants of the Eighth Route Army of the Yellow Turbans, and persuaded major leaders like Guan Hai to surrender to the Han Dynasty?"

"Twenty-eight million Yellow Turban remnants surrendered directly to Xun Shuang?!" Li Ru, who had just returned to Luoyang after finishing his business in Japan, received the intelligence from Qingzhou before he could even have a sip of tea.

"Bullshit scholar's power, bullshit!!!" Li Ru lost all composure and composure at this moment, and cursed directly.

"The remnants of the Yellow Turban Rebellion are not under the control of the Taiping Dao, nor are they under the control of that so-called Holy Maiden... They..." Li Ru took a deep breath as he said this.

His expression immediately turned extremely grave as he said, "They have always been under Lin Mu's control!!!"

"Lin Mu started planning this from the Yellow Turban Rebellion, no... it's very likely he started planning it the moment he arrived in China... It's terrifying! It's terrifying!!" Li Ru exclaimed in horror, as if he had seen the truth through the clouds.

"What? Impossible?!" Zhang Ji, who was reporting the information to Li Ru, also changed his expression drastically upon hearing this.

"Bring me the map of the Great Han Dynasty!!" After a moment of panic, Li Ru quickly calmed down, shouted, and ordered his servants to bring the map.

The attendant quickly brought out the map and placed it in front of Li Ru.

Li Ru quickly browsed the geomantic map of the Great Han Dynasty, and as time went by, his expression became increasingly solemn.

"Yang Xu... Guo Jia... Zhongli of Kuaiji... Xie Clan of Kuaiji..."

"Good! Good! Good!!" Li Ru said "good" three times in a row.

"So the real wolf in sheep's clothing is you, Lin Mu!"

"We intend to swallow up the lands of Youzhou, Qingzhou, Xuzhou, and Yangzhou, connecting them along the coastline. With no worries behind us, we can focus solely on fighting in front of us!"

Controlling the four provinces is no easy task. The people, officials, and powerful clans of the four provinces all need to be supported, their salaries need to be paid, and balance needs to be maintained... The expenses involved are enormous.

After Dong Zhuo took control of Luoyang, Li Ru became the chief logistics officer. The salaries of the officials in Luoyang alone were terrifyingly high.

Not to mention the sheer number of soldiers and their families to be housed...it's astronomical!
"Yangzhou... has been developed for a long time... and is as solid as a rock... Now we are focusing all our efforts on developing Youzhou and Qingzhou... and the cost will definitely be considerable... even our resources cannot support two states at the same time..."

"What a good appetite... But eating too fast can make you stuffed!"

"General Dian Wei, the Protector General, roamed Bingzhou... Xun You conquered Jiaozhou... Yang Xu governed the counties of Jingzhou..."

"So that's how it is... So that's how it is!!!" After analyzing it, Li Ru suddenly realized.

Loyalty to Lin Mu? Bullshit!!

In the entire Han Dynasty, the most treacherous and ruthless person is Lin Mu!

"No... Where does Lin Mu have such profound resources to control Youzhou and Bingzhou?"

"The treasury of the Ten Attendants, the secret treasury of the late Emperor Liu Hong..."

(End of this chapter)