Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 171 Slicing Sausage

"The imperial court has just restored the old capital, and everything is in need of rebuilding."

“The county and prefectural officials and the central government officials all need to be people of talent and virtue to fill these positions.”

"His Majesty and Liang and others have decided to restore the recommendation system in the Three Auxiliary Regions."

"I hope that all gentlemen and clansmen will recommend outstanding individuals from their own clans and villages to the court, without regard to kinship or enmity, so as to jointly promote the cause of the king."

Since the relocation of people to populate the border areas and the construction of water conservancy projects have affected the interests of the powerful clans in Guanzhong, and none of the clans have raised any objections, then it is time to offer them the political benefits they have longed for but could not obtain in Cao Wei.

However, upon hearing this, most of the various clans present were not particularly excited, especially the lesser clans of Jingzhao, who mostly turned their gaze toward the elders of the Wei and Du clans.

According to the custom of the Later Han Dynasty, the number of candidates recommended for the civil service examination was directly linked to the population.

For populations exceeding 200,000, one person is selected each year.

Between 100,000 and 200,000, one person is recommended every two years.

For those with less than 100,000 positions, only one person is recommended every three years.

In the present-day Sanfu region, no prefecture has a population greater than 100,000. If we follow the usual practice, it takes about three years to recommend one person as a filial and incorruptible official.

Even if the policies of the Shu Han dynasty were more lenient, they would probably only select one person per prefecture per year.

Since the quota is so small, the so-called "filial piety and integrity" are basically predetermined.

It seems that this was a means for the Shu Han court to win over and appease the powerful families of Jingzhao (Wei and Du), Fufeng (Ma and Su), Fengyi (Geng and Ji), and other prominent clans, and had little to do with the lesser, lesser families.

Du Jian went straight to the point and asked, "Prime Minister, may I ask what the current quotas are for recommending virtuous and talented individuals such as the Filial and Incorrupt Officials and the Outstanding Talents in each prefecture of the Han Dynasty, and what criteria are used to determine them?"

Upon hearing this, the leaders of all the tribes turned their gazes to the prime minister at the table.

The Prime Minister stroked his beard and smiled:

"The pseudo-Wei regime replaced the old Han dynasty system of recommendation with the Nine-Rank System. Although the method was supposed to select talents, it actually focused on family background, resulting in the problem that the upper ranks were mostly made up of noble families and the lower ranks were made up of poor families."

"The selection and rank of officials are determined by their own feelings and preferences, and their true intentions are based on their own actions."

"Therefore, most of the men selected were sons of prominent families in Guandong."

“The talented and outstanding people of Guanzhong and Longxi have been relegated to low-ranking positions.”

"Not only that, as far as I know, since the Jian'an period, the talented and virtuous officials in Guanzhong have been guarded against by Cao Wei and have been difficult to give important positions."

"Guanzhong is the place where the Han Dynasty rose to power, and it has produced many talented people since ancient times."

"In the decades since the Cao family seized power, no great talents from Guanzhong have been employed by the false dynasty. It is conceivable that countless talents have been buried and unable to realize their ambitions."

"Therefore, Your Majesty and Liang and others have agreed that all those present should recommend members of their own clans, regardless of kinship or enmity, and should recommend all members of their clans, retainers, old friends, and neighbors, regardless of age, so that this matter may be heard by the Emperor."
"The imperial court will order the selection of Minister Cao to personally conduct examinations and consult with him on the most pressing matters of the day."

"Anyone who demonstrates genuine talent in answering questions may be invited to the palace examination."

"But if His Majesty approves, then we should not be bound by old rules or limit people by social status; all should be promoted."

"If so, if we find a hundred virtuous and capable people, we will recommend a hundred filial and incorruptible people; if we find ten people who can save the world, we will recruit ten outstanding talents."

"So that the court may gather capable officials and leave no worthy men unrecorded in the countryside."

"As for the future, each of the prefectures of Fufeng, Jingzhao, and Fengyi will recommend two candidates for the title of 'filial and incorruptible' every year, and one candidate for the title of 'outstanding talent' every two years."

"The Grand Chancellor's Office will also recruit capable and virtuous officials who are familiar with the geography and customs of Guanzhong and knowledgeable in civil and military affairs as their subordinates."

"Those who can understand the meaning of the classics and the principles of governance should be promoted;

"Those who are good at planning border settlements and land reclamation, and at managing criminal justice and finances, may be promoted;

"—Those who are insightful about disasters and anomalies and can offer strategies to pacify the people and quell calamities may be promoted;

"—Even commoners can be promoted to be upright and virtuous elders in their villages."

"..."

The Prime Minister continued, while the heads of various clans at the banquet were all astonished and delighted.

If a hundred people are virtuous and capable, then a hundred filial and incorruptible officials will be recommended; if ten people are capable of saving the world, then ten outstanding talents will be recruited… Although this statement is somewhat exaggerated and it is impossible to actually select a hundred filial and incorruptible officials and ten outstanding talents, it is enough to show the intention of the Shu Han court to appoint scholars from Guanzhong without being bound by convention.

This unconventional approach immediately reminded everyone at the table of Cao Cao's "Edict for Seeking Talented Individuals."

If only honest and upright people can be appointed as virtuous and capable officials, then how could Duke Huan of Qi have become a hegemon by relying on Guan Zhong?
Are there any people in the world today like Jiang Shang, who, despite his simple clothes, possessed genuine talent and fished on the banks of the Wei River?

Are there any cases like Chen Ping's, who stole his sister-in-law and accepted money but didn't encounter someone like Wei Wuzhi who recommended him?

Cao Cao's idea of ​​appointing people based solely on their talents is exactly like this: even morally corrupt people can be employed if they have talent.

Although the Han Dynasty may not necessarily only appoint officials based on merit, the Prime Minister's words were exactly what they had hoped for, giving them, people from humble backgrounds in Guanzhong, a path to officialdom.

At the main table, the Prime Minister continued to speak eloquently, telling the various tribes about the various talents needed by the Han Dynasty, such as those skilled in governing the people, managing agriculture, managing horses, managing commerce, and arithmetic, etc., all of whom could be recommended to the court. The Han Dynasty would never select officials solely based on their knowledge of the classics and righteousness.

Upon hearing this, the various tribes became even more excited.

It should be understood that the key difference lies between the Kansai aristocratic families and the Kanto aristocratic families, and between minor clans and prominent clans.

It lies in the "right to interpret scriptures" and in family learning.

The traditional families of the Kanto region, through mutual transmission of their family traditions and intermarriage, united to maintain their family status and political privileges, excluding the Kansai aristocratic families.

The people of Kansai did not have the right to interpret the scriptures. Even if they followed great Confucian scholars such as Ma Rong and Jia Kui to study the ancient texts of the classics, and even if the ancient texts of the classics were more popular among the common people, in the eyes of the people of Kanto who controlled the central government and the right to interpret the scriptures, they were still second-rate bastards.

As a nobody, once someone enters officialdom, they are naturally inferior, have no voice, are naturally ostracized by the central government, and find it difficult to integrate.

The clans of Kansai were aware of their hopeless prospects in officialdom. Since they had no hope of advancement, they could only focus on practical matters and downplay legal matters, channeling their unfulfilled ambitions into managing their households and making money.

Therefore, what the people of Guanxi learned was mostly practical family knowledge such as military strategy, law, agricultural economics, mathematics, horse economics, etc.

His expertise was mostly in practical matters such as governing the people and managing businesses, administering criminal justice and military affairs, land reclamation and horse breeding, and trade.

Now, the Shu Han dynasty does not select officials based on their knowledge of the classics, but instead consults them on current affairs and examines their actual abilities.

This is precisely what the people of Kansai excel at!

Let's not even talk about practical subjects like law, arithmetic, and agronomy, which are inherently useful for governing the world.

Let's talk about some seemingly impractical and unorthodox methods.

For example, the Yang family, a minor clan in Fengyi, which ranks last, has a tradition of studying astronomy and calendar systems, and even has an observatory built on its estate.

By simply extrapolating the twenty-four solar terms, agricultural activities could be guided more effectively than the "Four-Part Calendar" still in use by Cao Wei, ensuring that agricultural activities did not go against the seasons and achieving a certain degree of increased production.

For example, Shu brocade sold well in the Western Regions, but the Hexi Corridor was previously controlled by Cao Wei, so it was the people of Wei who went to Shu to buy Shu brocade and then sold it at a high price to the Kushans, Persians and Sogdians from the Western Regions.

Once the Han Dynasty conquered Liangzhou and cut off Cao Wei's economic ties with the Western Regions, wouldn't it be necessary to have people proficient in foreign languages ​​to sell Shu brocade to the Western Regions? Coincidentally, many outstanding talents from Guanzhong learned and mastered multiple foreign languages ​​such as Kushan, Persian, and Sogdian for the convenience of doing business and trade.

The prime minister, seated at the head of the table, spoke eloquently, listing more than a dozen criteria for selecting talent before finally stopping.

Meanwhile, the various tribes present were racking their brains, trying to recall and think about how many talented people their tribes could contribute to the Han Dynasty.

A moment later, led by Wei Dan, Du Jian, Jin Lian and others from Jingzhao, everyone attended and paid their respects, showing their loyalty to the Han Dynasty and obeying the imperial decree to immediately select the humblest members of their clans and send them to Chang'an for the court's evaluation.

The people of Guanxi are different from the people of Jiangdong who live in a remote corner of the country.

The people of Jiangdong have never entered the central government and are used to being powerful landlords. They have no sense of loss and therefore no ambition. Their primary demand is to ensure that their private property is not violated, and only then do they seek official promotions.

However, the people of Kansai were marginalized from the core of the Han Dynasty. The glory of their ancestors made them want to return to the center at all times. Therefore, as long as they could gain political benefits, the people of Kansai were willing to give up some economic benefits.

Since the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty had already promised them political status, the so-called relocation of people to populate the border areas and the construction of water conservancy projects were completely insignificant.

As for the equal distribution of land and the registration of households three years later, there are still three years to reclaim wasteland. The reclaimed land will probably be enough to support their clan's future population for more than ten or twenty years.

Moreover, the land was recognized by the imperial court, so there was no need to operate in a gray area and live in constant fear that the court would come to survey the land and cause conflicts with the court.

Furthermore... once you gain political status, why worry about not being able to acquire more land in the future? Giving up some economic benefits now will allow your descendants to reap even greater economic benefits in the future.

In conclusion, after today's discussion, the fate of Guanzhong is now completely intertwined with the fate of the Han Dynasty.

As long as the Han Dynasty can be restored three times, then the various tribes in Guanzhong, as meritorious officials who followed the emperor, will surely be able to restore the glory of their ancestors in the future!

After explaining the many favorable policies, the Prime Minister ordered people to take out several boxes of bamboo slips from behind the screen and distribute them to the various clans. In the end, each person had five scrolls of bamboo slips in front of them.

Wei Dan and Du Jian were the first to receive it and the first to open it.

However, the first two characters of the bamboo slip scroll were written: "Han Ke".

The two men's expressions turned slightly tense.

The term "科" (kē) has lower legal force than laws and decrees, and serves as a supplement to laws and decrees.

Because Emperor Zhaolie revered the Han dynasty, he could not easily amend the Han laws, but he had to formulate new laws to suit the special circumstances of Yizhou.

Therefore, Yizhou governed itself using the Han Law and also added the Shu Code.

After Ji Hanshao succeeded to the Han dynasty, the Han laws and the Shu laws continued to be used in parallel, only now they were renamed the Han laws.

The Du family governed the Han Dynasty with both the major and minor versions of the Du Code. Du Jian, as the most respected elder of the Du family, was thoroughly familiar with the Han Code.

Hanko was quite new to him, and it immediately captivated his attention.

Before long, he had a general understanding of Hanko.

This was a supplementary set of regulations designed to reverse the laxity in Liu Zhang's rule over Shu.

Unlike the balanced approach of Han law, Han law emphasized suppressing powerful clans first, and then supporting commoners.

The main focus is on the land annexation, population concealment, and corruption issues of powerful families in Yizhou.

The focus is on cracking down on powerful and arrogant clans.

It emphasizes "using the law to deter and punish."

The law clearly defines the penalties for the actions of powerful and wealthy individuals who exploit and oppress ordinary people.

Officials were also subject to performance evaluations, with those who made merits being rewarded and those who made mistakes being punished.

The Prime Minister did not give the assembled noble families time to review the provisions of the Shu civil service examination, and said in a serious tone:

"Gentlemen, the laws and regulations of the court are the foundation for stabilizing the country and ensuring its stability, and they must not be violated."

"It is hoped that you gentlemen will take the 'Han Code' back to your respective tribes and regions, copy it down and spread it, so that people in your tribes will not violate the rules of the Great Han Code."

"The most important of these is, as stated in the regulations, anyone who colludes with the rebels, bandits, or mountain brigands to wreak havoc in the countryside, resists national policies, disrupts the market, or outwardly complies while inwardly disobeying, will be severely punished by the court in accordance with the law. Do not say that the court did not warn you."

All the elders nodded solemnly, repeatedly saying that they would obey the Prime Minister's orders.

The carrot and stick approach—the elders of this clan, at their advanced age, certainly understand this principle.

But today the Prime Minister will first feed you a handful of carrots, and then swing down a big stick.

Then he fed her a handful of radishes, followed by a big stick.

The various ethnic groups present gradually relinquished their core interests, bit by bit, section by section, like slicing a sausage.

Although the Han Dynasty promised political benefits, these benefits could not be realized immediately. They needed time to wait for their clansmen to gradually rise to high positions before the deal could be considered truly equal.

Regardless, the exchange of interests between the Han Dynasty and Guanzhong has begun, and their interests are now truly intertwined. Isn't it only right that the court should use the law to govern its subordinates?

Not to mention that the various tribes in Guanzhong had already reached such a point in their discussions with the Han Dynasty.

If the court does not grant political benefits to the various ethnic groups in Guanzhong, but only exploits and suppresses them, would the powerful clans in Guanzhong dare to violate the laws of Han and Shu?
The Han dynasty had just driven Cao Wei's army of over 100,000 out of Guanzhong, and had also captured over 100,000 soldiers, laborers, and slaves from Cao Wei.

In terms of population alone, it is far greater than all the people of all the ethnic groups present here combined. I ask you, which of the ethnic groups in Guanzhong has a fist as strong as the Han?
The big man could wipe them out with a flick of his finger.

The so-called power of fists is power; only a hard fist is truly hard.

The reason why Cao Wei did not deal with Guanzhong in the first place and gave Guanzhong many benefits was simply because Cao Wei wanted to first concentrate its strength to deal with the threats from Sun Quan and Gongsun Yuan, and then turn to govern Guanzhong and Lianglong. This was another kind of salami slicing.

But the Han Dynasty is different.

With several thousand elite troops of the Han Dynasty guarding Baidi and controlling the Three Gorges, Sun Quan was almost helpless and could not threaten Shu. Moreover, Shu and Wu were still in an alliance.

With the situation in Shu stable and the Han emperor's victory in his personal campaign, Shu became even more stable. As a result, the Han dynasty could concentrate all its energy and the majority of its troops in Guanzhong.

Who can bear this?
The banquet seemed to be drawing to a close. The clan leaders continued to review the Shu Code, which had not yet been renamed. Before long, the Geng and Ma clans of Fufeng arrived together and presented two bamboo slips to the Prime Minister.

The prime minister took it and saw that it was a general outline of the two clans' household registration and land holdings.

Although this data may not be complete, the Han Dynasty could still use these household registrations and land holdings to levy taxes and conscript labor from the two clans.

The Prime Minister praised the two clans in front of everyone, and the other clans who were prepared also immediately presented their documents upon seeing this.

They received inside information that Wei, Du, Jin, and other local strongmen in Jingzhao had already voluntarily surrendered and handed over their land and household registration documents to the Han Dynasty.

Today, all the most powerful clans and noble families in the Three Auxiliary Regions have gathered at the Prime Minister's residence. It is easy to tell at a glance who is more sincere.

About 30-40% of the powerful clan elders who were unprepared were extremely embarrassed. They hurriedly racked their brains to find excuses, telling the prime minister that the clan was in disarray and that the household registration and land ownership had not been sorted out. The prime minister, however, remained calm and said that he understood their situation and that they should not worry.

They raised their glasses in celebration, enjoying themselves immensely. However, just when the various clans thought the discussion was about to end, the Prime Minister ordered several dozen scrolls of bamboo slips to be brought out and distributed to the clan leaders present.

(End of this chapter)