Han officials

Chapter 314 Advantages and Disadvantages [4K]

"Traditional Chinese studies? He doesn't even deserve that title."

The next day, inside Jinyong City in Luoyang, Cao Cao's nephew Cao Anmin was seen with a look of disdain.

Having lost Hanoi Commandery, the Han army in Luoyang was among the first foreign troops to learn of the news, since Jinyong City was only fifty li from the Yellow River, practically right under the noses of the Wei army.

Therefore, let alone rumors, Shi Sunduan was actually holding a copy of the "Great Learning" at this moment.

Looking at the four lines of Wei Zhe's lifelong ambition written on the wall at the end of the copy, Shi Sunrui couldn't help but sigh with heartfelt emotion:
"What a pity! If only this person had been born sixty years earlier!"

Upon hearing his words, Cao Anmin was confused and unsure whether he should continue cursing.

However, Shi Sunrui's son, Shi Sunmeng, was not so concerned and immediately complained:

"Father, that fellow just seized Hanoi County, why are you still speaking up for him?"

Unexpectedly, Shi Sunrui shook his head:

"It is not that I am trying to boost his morale, but this person is truly a talent for the nation."

"If he had been born sixty years earlier, the Han Dynasty probably wouldn't be what it is today!"

After saying this, Shi Sunrui couldn't help but sigh deeply, and suddenly didn't want to say anything more.

Upon hearing his words, the civil and military officials in the main hall of the Sili Commandant's Office couldn't help but exchange bewildered glances.

Cao Ang couldn't bear to watch any longer and offered to borrow the copy from Sun Rui's hands.

It would have been better if he hadn't looked at it. Once he did, he remained silent and simply handed the copy to Man Chong and Mao Jie beside him.

In no time at all, everyone in the room fell silent.

Even military generals like Lü Bu and Cao Zhang were puzzled and became even more confused by their behavior.

"It's just a book of idle gossip, what's so interesting about it!"

Lu Bu, unable to contain his temper, immediately walked out cursing. Seeing this, Cao Zhang simply followed him out.

It is said that Cao Zhang and Lü Bu were originally strangers, but after Cao Ang led his remaining troops to join forces with the Han army in Luoyang, Cao Zhang was able to meet Lü Bu and was quickly impressed by him.

After all, Lü Bu now serves Wang Yun first and then Shi Sunrui, and has always remained loyal to the Han Dynasty. His reputation is much better than in the original history, not to mention that he was a great hero of the Han Dynasty who personally killed Dong Zhuo.

Lu Bu also greatly admired Cao Zhang, a young and fierce general, and felt that he was quite compatible with him. He even went so far as to teach him his family's secret techniques for building strength and martial arts, hoping to make this guy his son-in-law.

Unfortunately, the Han army in Luoyang was too weak, and even with the addition of remnants of Cao Cao's army, they still could not resist the Wei army.

Not long ago, Zhang Liao led more than 10,000 troops from Jizhou Prefecture and swept through Henan Commandery with unstoppable momentum, causing the Han army in Luoyang to flee in disarray.

If it weren't for Lü Bu's ferocity and battlefield acumen, which allowed him to detect Sun Ce's ambushes several times in advance and ultimately lead his troops across the river to retreat to Luoyang and hold the eight passes of Luoyang, the Han army in Luoyang in Henei Commandery would probably have been completely annihilated.

However, it was Cao Zhang's performance in this battle that caught Lü Bu's eye, and Lü Bu prepared to marry his daughter to him.

The military generals may not care about this academy lecture, but the civil officials cannot.

After the two left, Cao Ang remained silent for a moment before finally speaking:

"Now that things have come to this, we should still think of a way to deal with it!"

Upon hearing this, Shi Sunmeng nodded repeatedly and said:
"Indeed, we are now enemies of the Wei army, not friends, so we should make preparations as soon as possible."

Seeing this, Shi Sunrui stopped worrying and humbly asked, "Does anyone have a good plan?"

Seeing this, Zao Zhi couldn't help but offer his advice:

"Currently, Guanzhong is suffering from a severe drought, and the region is severely lacking in grain. The various armies of Liangzhou have risen up in unison, with no plan to sustain them throughout the year. When hungry, they plunder; when full, they abandon their surplus. The region is collapsing and its people are displaced. Since the beginning of the year, countless people have fled to Luoyang. Why doesn't the Sili region utilize these resources?"

"How should it be used?" Shi Sunrui asked again.

Zao Zhi immediately said with a sigh:
"The key to governing a country lies in having a strong army and sufficient food. The Qin people conquered the world by focusing on agriculture, and Emperor Wu of Han pacified the Western Regions by establishing military settlements. These are good examples from previous dynasties."

"Sili should recruit people to cultivate land in the Heluo Plain, establish agricultural officials, supply them with good seeds and farming tools, and transport grain by oxen. In this way, we can obtain a million bushels of grain a year, so that our army will no longer be in danger of running out of food. As the grain reserves gradually increase, we can conquer all directions and restore the Han Dynasty."

In fact, the Sili Xiaowei Office in Luoyang had been taking in refugees from Guanzhong for a long time, but Zao Zhi felt it was too rigid.

When Shi Sunrui asked him about it, he gave him a detailed and complete method for establishing military farms.

He learned this from Wei Zhe; if Cao Cao hadn't been defeated and killed, he would have implemented it in Yanzhou long ago.

A moment later, as soon as Zao Zhi finished speaking, Shi Sunrui's face was filled with emotion.

"You are a wise physician who can govern the world well. From this day forward, the affairs of the Sili military farms will be entrusted to you, Lord Zao!"

Upon hearing this, Zao Zhi was slightly surprised.

He hadn't expected Shi Sunrui to trust him so much, after all, he was a former subordinate of Cao Cao and had only recently arrived in Luoyang.

However, Zao Zhi was unaware that Shi Sunrui's greatest virtue was his magnanimity.

He could even coax and manipulate Lü Bu, let alone a great talent in internal affairs like Zao Zhi.

However, after Zao Zhi received the order, Shi Sunrui and Cao Ang discussed it for a while and felt that they could not just hold on to it. Although the Henei Commandery had been lost, the Han army in Luoyang still had its strength and had not lost too many troops. So why not try to see if they could recover Chang'an and take Guanzhong?

It should be noted that Guanzhong is currently experiencing a severe drought, and the armies of Liangzhou are beginning to run out of food, which is when they are at their weakest.

After much deliberation, Shi Sunrui and Cao Ang still felt they shouldn't miss this opportunity.

……

When the shadowy figures of the Han army from Luoyang began to appear east of Tongguan, Yizhou was also in turmoil.

After Liu Yan died of illness, Liu Zhang succeeded him as the governor of Yi Province and later became the King of Hanzhong, but he was not very respected within Yi Province.

To be precise, the same thing happened when Liu Yan was in power, except that he suppressed it.

As a result, the day after Liu Zhang ascended to the throne as King of Hanzhong, local powerful clans in Yizhou began to stir up trouble. They secretly conspired and instigated Yizhou generals Shen Mi, Lou Fa, and Gan Ning to launch an uprising, led by Liu He, the Prefect of Jingzhou, to attack Liu Zhang.

Of course, not all local forces in Yizhou opposed Liu Yan and his son's notification.

People like Zhao Wei, who benefited from Liu Yan's rule, were extremely loyal to Liu Zhang.

Therefore, although Liu Zhang was somewhat flustered and embarrassed at the beginning of the rebellion, he quickly brought the situation under control.

He appointed Zhao Wei as General Who Conquers the East, and soon after, he successfully defeated the rebel army. Gan Ning and others had no choice but to flee Yizhou in disarray and seek refuge with Liu Biao.

But just as the internal rebellion was dealt with, problems arose in Hanzhong.

Zhang Lu of Hanzhong, who was originally affiliated with Liu Yan, saw that Liu Zhang was a young upstart. Therefore, relying on the great power of the Five Pecks of Rice sect in Hanzhong, he became more and more arrogant, disobeyed Liu Zhang's orders, and even colluded with the Ba Yi, causing Ba Yi chieftains such as Du Hu, Pu Hu, and Yuan Yue to betray Liu Zhang and join the Five Pecks of Rice sect.

All of this enraged Liu Zhang, who had just experienced an internal rebellion, and in a fit of rage, he killed Zhang Lu's mother.

Well, as for why Zhang Lu's mother was in Chengdu, that's actually a bit of a soap opera.

The main reason is that Zhang Lu's mother was also proficient in the secret arts of the Five Pecks of Rice sect, and she was good at maintaining her health and had a youthful appearance. Simply put, although Zhang Lu's mother was quite old, she still looked like a young girl.

Therefore, Zhang Lu's mother often visited the home of Liu Yan, the governor of Yizhou, to learn his sexual techniques and health preservation methods.

Zhang Lu thus gained Liu Yan's trust through his mother's relationship with Liu Yan, allowing the Five Pecks of Rice sect to dominate Hanzhong.

From this perspective, Liu Zhang's killing of his mother may not have been an impulsive act, but rather a result of long-standing resentment.

But killing may feel good in the moment, but cleaning up the mess afterwards is a real hassle.

As the saying goes: The hatred for killing one's mother is irreconcilable.

Upon learning of this, Zhang Lu, who was in Hanzhong, rebelled without saying a word, completely breaking ties with Liu Zhang.

Although Liu Zhang dispatched General Pang Xi and Li Si to attack multiple times, they were all defeated by Zhang Lu's followers.

Zhang Lu became increasingly confident and established his own independent regime in Hanzhong, using the Five Pecks of Rice Religion to educate the people, thus directly combining politics and religion.

After a while, Liu Zhang ran out of ideas and could only engage in verbal battles with Zhang Lu.

Thus, Liu Zhang, who had only been crowned "King of Hanzhong" for a few days, lost Hanzhong.

He had intended to emulate his ancestor Emperor Gaozu of Han and make a name for himself, but instead he ended up losing face.

Liu Zhang, whose prestige had greatly diminished, also felt very insecure due to the successive rebellions. He even began to be suspicious of the people of Yizhou and started to place more and more importance on the "Eastern State Soldiers".

However, this led to another problem: dissatisfaction among the local forces in Yizhou.

It's important to understand that the "Dongzhou Soldiers" were not simply an army.

Several years ago, when the Liangzhou army wreaked havoc in Chang'an and plundered Guanzhong and surrounding areas, tens of thousands of people from Nanyang and Sanfu fled to Yizhou to survive because they could not bear the suffering.

At that time, Liu Yan, the governor of Yizhou, took them all in as his followers and called them "Eastern Province Soldiers".

Therefore, the "Dongzhou soldiers" were not simply an army, but more like an armed group with families.

Liu Zhang increasingly valued the "Dongzhou soldiers," and in order to live a better life, this force inevitably competed with the local forces of Yizhou for resources, which sometimes led to conflicts.

In this situation, although Liu Zhang seemed to have secured his position with the help of the "Dongzhou troops," the internal divisions in Yizhou only increased rather than decreased, though he kept them dormant.

When news of Ye City reached Chengdu, the undercurrents in Yizhou became even more turbulent.

On this day, at a manor on the outskirts of Chengdu.

A middle-aged scholar suddenly rose, sleeves fluttering, and said angrily:

"Who is Wei Zhe? He is nothing but a Han traitor. How dare this crude and vulgar warrior speak of the teachings of the sages?"

"Why are the gentlemen of Guandong so cowardly, allowing this man to spout such absurd and ridiculous talk?"

This person was Zhang Yu, a literary figure from Shu County. He was a famous Confucian scholar in Yizhou, especially skilled in divination and prophecy. He was adept at interpreting celestial phenomena with human affairs to predict good and bad fortune, and was also skilled in physiognomy.

As one of the representatives of the New Text School of Confucianism in Sichuan, Zhang Yu was seething with rage at that moment.

If he could do it, he would want to devour Wei Zhe alive right now.

However, his behavior displeased several scholars standing nearby.

Today is just a casual gathering of scholars, a chance to chat and exchange information. Who would want to listen to Zhang Yu vent?

Zhang Song, with his rough appearance, immediately expressed his dissatisfaction:

“Zhang’s statement is different, but Wei’s statement is not without reason.”

Mencius once said: "King Wu's conquest of King Zhou was not an act of injustice."

"It was precisely because King Wu disregarded the loss of his reputation and personal interests for the sake of public justice that the Zhou dynasty ruled the world for eight hundred years."

"Doesn't this perfectly align with Duke Wei's principles of righteousness and profit?"

"Hmph! In my opinion, the world has fallen to this state because there are too many parasites who prioritize personal gain over public interest."

Actually, Zhang Song and Zhang Yu didn't have any real conflict; it's just that Zhang Song had a habit of being sarcastic and had offended many people because of it.

For example, at this moment, Zhang Yu was so angry that his eyes widened and he was panting heavily.

But before he could speak, Du Qiong, standing to the side, said angrily:

"You brat, who are you referring to indirectly?"

Like Zhang Yu, Du Qiong was also from Shu Commandery and had just been appointed as an aide by Liu Zhang.

Although Du Qiong's reputation in Yizhou was not as great as Zhang Yu's, he was quite confident. He had studied the classics under Ren An, a great Confucian scholar in Sichuan, since childhood. Over the decades, he had thoroughly studied Ren An's theories and inherited Ren An's mantle. He also had extensive connections among the scholars in Yizhou.

Most importantly, Du Qiong was particularly proficient in apocryphal texts and prophecies, and he was always proud of it.

If Zhang Yu hadn't spoken first, he too would have criticized Wei Zhe.

Seeing that Zhang Song seemed to be on Wei Zhe's side, he immediately mocked:

"The ancients said that one's appearance reflects one's heart, and now it seems that this saying is indeed true."

"Such absurd and blasphemous nonsense is something that only Your Excellency would believe."

Tsk tsk~ I have to say Du Qiong knows how to be sarcastic.

It would have been better if he hadn't said those words. But Zhang Song was so angry that he slammed his fist on the table, stood up, and drew his sword to stab him.

If it weren't for the people around them stopping them in time, one of them might have collapsed today.

The gathering ended unhappily after the two of them made such a scene.

However, this farce on the outskirts of Chengdu was just a microcosm of the chaos in Yizhou.

Merchants in Ye City compiled Wei Zhe's words and actions at the Zhixing Academy into a book, which was then combined with the "Commentary on the Great Learning" and named "The Record of Knowledge and Action." This book was then sold far and wide. Many gentry from Yizhou who were dissatisfied with Liu Zhang were willing to spend a lot of money to buy this book.

Due to the wealth of the prominent families in Yizhou and the large number of buyers, there was even a situation where ten bolts of Shu brocade could be exchanged for one book.

Despite the fact that many Confucian scholars in Yizhou, who followed the New Text School of Confucianism, vehemently slandered and defamed Wei Zhe's words, it was still difficult to stop the popularity of "Zhixinglu" in Yizhou.

Scholars of the classical Chinese school, such as Wu Yi, Li Yan, Fei Guan, Zhang Song, and Xu Jing, began to study this book in depth. The more they read it, the more they admired it, and they even began to try to put the theories of "Chinese Studies" into practice.

In the past, although they had long admired Wei Zhe, they all held an attitude of indifference towards him.

I neither admire nor resent; I simply remain an observer.

However, even though Wei Zhe did not welcome the emperor and seize power, a group of "pro-Wei faction" gradually emerged within Yizhou, who would every now and then persuade Liu Zhang to form an alliance with Yecheng and not to be his enemy.

However, considering that Hanzhong and Jingzhou were both enemies, Liu Zhang surprisingly found their words quite reasonable and decided to send Zhang Song as an envoy to Ye City to establish friendly relations with the Wei Kingdom...

(End of this chapter)