Three Kingdoms: I rely on system loopholes to survive

After the Nanjun Water Fort changed hands, the Cai brothers all died at the hands of Liu Qi. When his wife heard about it, her blood and energy all went to her body and she fell into a severe coma and couldn't get up. Within three days, her limbs couldn't be retracted and her mind was seriously confused. No doctors could cure her.

Liu Cong was unable to take charge of government affairs, and all political affairs were decided by Fu Xun, a clerk of the Eastern Cao, and Han Song, an attendant. Rumors began to spread in the county at some point, saying that it was because of Liu Biao, and there seemed to be a hidden story; Liu Cong's succession was not his father's wish, and it was not allowed according to etiquette, so many clans wanted to support Liu Qi.

The two men were feeling extremely anxious, and they heard that Liu Bei had led 50,000 troops out of Cangwu, perhaps with the intention of attacking Lingling.

Although Lu Bu was defeated, he still had Jiangxia County to defend. Liu Qi seemed to have only navy, but he had the envoy of Jiaozhou by his side. Now that Liu Cong's faction was beginning to show signs of decline, and Liu Qi had a reputation, he seized this good opportunity and summoned the clans to offer them huge benefits.

When the Cai family was in power, many clans were oppressed by them, and there were also people who wanted to realize their ambitions and joined them with selfish motives. Liu Qi pacified them one by one, either by promising them land and houses, or by offering them titles, and by promising them favors.

When Zhong Ping saw that there were also people from the Kuai clan among the visitors, he had a plan in mind. He immediately went to see Kuai Liang alone and said, "In the past, Duke Zhou was regent and Bo Qin gave up his title. They all decided the fate of the world based on the order of seniority. Although Liu Jingsheng is dead now, Prince Qi is the eldest son. It is like Tai Bo avoiding Ji Li and Wei Zi giving up his title to King Zhou. The legal system is as clear as the sun and the moon in the sky. In the past, when Guan Zhong assisted Qi, he must first rectify the names and positions; when Duke Zhou governed Luo, he attached great importance to the order of rites. Haven't you heard that Wei refused his father and Duke Zheng defeated Duan?"

"Look at Prince Cong, his nature is like reeds, his character is like oak. Now Ping has only 800 Baiqi soldiers to cause chaos in Nanjun. If Cao Cao and Yuan Shao plan to attack Jingzhou, Prince Cong will surely follow Zhang Zibu's example of surrendering to Sun Ce and Han Fu's example of giving up Jizhou. The nine counties of Jingxiang may become the rebellion of Guan and Cai, and the three supervisors may cause trouble. Wouldn't the Kuai clan be in danger?"

"However, Prince Qi's benevolence and righteousness are known throughout the state and his loyalty and filial piety are known throughout the country. If we follow Prince Qi as our leader, even if the cavalry marches south, we should make friends with the state, just like Tian Dan defeated Yan with fire bulls and Zhang Xun resisted the bandits in Suiyang, so as to protect the territory and the people and forever consolidate the clan society."

"I have long heard that you have the Yongji theory. If you help Zhou to be cruel, wouldn't you be imitating Shu Diao's disorderly government and Qingfu's death? If you support a wise ruler, you will be like Yi Yin releasing Taijia and Zhou Gong assisting King Cheng, who lived up to the kindness of their former masters. Moreover, Prince Qi has sworn: if he gets Jingzhou, he will follow the example of Duke Huan confessing his sins, King Zhuang cutting off his tassels, and Liu Cong's followers, without any harm. Isn't such a benevolent and righteous ruler a good tree of the Kuai family?"

"The Kuai family's hundred years are just a thought away."

Kuai Liang remained silent for a long time. The next day, he claimed to be sick and did not go out, leaving Kuai Yue alone to walk outside.

The other clans observed the movements of the Kuai family and submitted memorials to the government, saying that the unrest in Jingzhou was due to the lady's selfishness and the subversion of rites and laws, and that it was better to replace her with the eldest legitimate son to correct the rules.

Fu Xun saw that the situation was irresistible, so he ordered assassins to kill Han Song in the mansion, and presented his head as a tribute, and asked Liu Qi to lead his troops into the lord's mansion.

At this time, Fan Jiang, Gong Jing and others under Liu Bei's command were stationed outside Lingling. When they heard that Liu Qi had entered the palace, they immediately sent a message to Cangwu. After Liu Bei had withdrawn his troops, he sent rhinoceros horns, peacocks, corals, pearls and other items in the name of congratulations, and also said that he would submit a petition to request the position of governor on behalf of Liu Qi.

Liu Qi knew that he could get Jingzhou thanks to Liu Bei's help, so he generously gave Lingling, Guiyang and Changsha three counties in return. He summoned Fu Xun, Kuai Liang, Yi Ji and other old officials, and praised his uncle's kindness in person. He issued an order: "The three counties in the southern border are strategically located with rugged mountains and rivers, rich in products, and connected to Jingzhou. In order to make friends with the state and help more prominently, I should give the three counties as a thank you, resume trade and travel, and jointly guard the southern border. What do you think?"

Among those present, only Deng Xi remained silent, while the rest all praised him.

After Jingzhou was somewhat stabilized, Liu Qi began to think about quelling the civil unrest.

Lü Bu retreated to Jiangxia and built a strong wall on the bank of the river. His subordinate Zhang Liao was good at defending the city, so Liu Qi put him aside for the time being. He noticed that the Yellow Turbans were entrenched in Jingzhong, and took pleasure in slaughtering clans and burning books. Many clans suffered from their misfortunes, so he only asked Liu Qi to quell the Yellow Turban Rebellion first.

Liu Qi then went to find Zhong Ping to discuss a good plan. Zhong Ping then offered a plan, saying, "When Dayu opened the river and dredged the river, he never considered it a success to block the river; when Zhou Gong established rituals and music, he must have worried about hunger and cold first. The Yellow Turbans were rampant in the past, not because of a disaster from heaven, but because people's livelihood had been in trouble for a long time. Looking at those who rose up, they were all people with swan faces and dove-shaped bodies, with no food in their stomachs and no knowledge of a single word. The Yellow Turbans were just imitating Chen She's sigh of stopping farming, and they gathered a mob in the name of heaven." "The people do not know the king's rule, so they are encouraged by the instigation. Since Zhongping, the Yellow Turbans have repeatedly stopped. Your Excellency has ruled with weapons and harsh laws, just like dredging a river and building a dam, which will eventually lead to the danger of a dam bursting. Why not follow the method of the ancient sages, build schools in the prefectures and let the children recite "Book of Songs" and "Book of Documents" and the old people sing "Binfeng"?
If we can educate them with culture and suppress them with military might, we can wipe out the rebellion and prevent it from reappearing. "

Liu Qi nodded in agreement, and ordered the campaign to both spread the gospel and appease the enemy. He also asked Zhong Ping to return to Jiaozhou to borrow soldiers to help quell the rebellion in the territory. The two states were on friendly terms, so Liu Bei naturally agreed. Liu Qi ordered the clans to respond with food, fodder, and military equipment.

Most clans made great contributions to show their loyalty, and only a few clans still held back. But within a few days, the Yellow Turbans in Jingzhou became more rampant, and all the members of the Yang family suffered. Their corpses were thrown in the market, their silks were soaked in blood, and their mansions and tall buildings were burned down.

Seeing that the Yellow Turbans, who were regarded as ants, acted so radically and crazily, the remaining clans dared not stand idly by and donated generously, and all of them agreed to Liu Qi's proposal to promote elementary education.

Before the end of the second year of Jian'an, which was the second month after Zhong Ping returned to Cangwu, the Yellow Turbans in Jingzhou were finally defeated by the army's encirclement and suppression, and barely a thousand people escaped to Henei. These Yellow Turbans seemed to regard the clan as an enemy, and the number of clans in Jingzhou that died at the hands of the Yellow Turbans, large and small, totaled to dozens.

After the great chaos, Jingzhou was severely damaged, and Liu Qi became more grateful to Liu Bei.

After the Yellow Turbans left, some clans returned to their old ways and submitted a petition saying that promoting elementary education was too burdensome and would not produce results in a short period of time, so it would be better to abolish it.

Liu Qi was originally full of confidence and vowed to make a career, but he was indeed shaken when he saw the devastation in the country, so he summoned his advisers to inquire about the matter.

Deng Xi advised, "I see that the county school has just been established, and the bamboo and silk books are filling the courtyard. I know that you have the ambition of Yao and Shun. However, the price of silk is more expensive than gold, and the weight of bamboo books is like a mountain. Although the tuition has been reduced by one-third, the common people still have no place to live. When Guan Zhong was the prime minister of Qi, he had to wait until the nine states were united before he could start to educate and civilize. When Shang Yang ruled Qin, he also abolished the well-field system before establishing Jixia. I hope that you will temporarily postpone the construction and wait until the country is at peace before taking this action."

Liu Qi carefully examined the people sitting below him and found that most of the clans agreed with Deng Xi's words, only those who were staying there seemed to be opposed. So he dismissed the officials and questioned Zhu and Feng again.

Zhu Fengyan said: "Sir, have you forgotten the story of the Tian clan replacing Qi and the three families dividing Jin? The clans of Jingxiang are like leeches attached to one's bones. Today they are attached to the lord, but tomorrow they may not be attached to others. The incident of Liu Cong in the past is a lesson not far away."

Liu Qi suddenly remembered how he had contacted the clan and replaced Liu Cong.

Compared with these clans that were intertwined and could even influence the ownership of Jingzhou, Liu Qi was more inclined to cultivate a group of talents who had no foundation and could only be used for his own benefit. However, most of the scriptures were controlled by the clans at present. Even though many fragments of the scriptures were circulated during the Yellow Turbans' rampage, the bamboo books were heavy and the cloth was expensive, so he was caught in a dilemma.

So when Liu Qi heard that Zhong Ping had accidentally improved the papermaking technique while tinkering with his tricks, using hemp, paper mulberry, and mulberry to make pulp and apply glue to make snow-white, tough, and extremely durable paper. He was also surprised and overjoyed when he heard that Zhong Ping had not only developed a movable curtain bed paper mold that could mass-produce paper, but also made a batch of word blocks made of ebony, which could form different sentences and articles by carving out a single word, and could even be reused.

When these items appeared, the whole world was shocked.

(End of this chapter)