The Duke of Shu Han began guarding Jingzhou in place of Guan Yu.

Chapter 212 To accomplish great things, one must prioritize people.

The Han army actually released the hostages!
no strings attached.

They did not take the opportunity to rush forward and seize the door.

They simply released the person back!

Upon seeing their loved ones safe and sound, the people of the city were overjoyed.

Only Xu Miao and the magistrate of Kunyang were both taken aback.

The former had already prepared for the worst and was willing to die for his country.

The latter also prepared for the worst, but in a different direction.

However, after the Han army returned to their camp that day, there was no further activity.

The truth is now clear.

It's free!

Give it to me clearly and transparently!

Even Xu Miao's family members were returned unconditionally.

"Has Miwei... done anything impolite?"

Xu Miao looked at his daughter, whose appearance remained unchanged, feeling both lingering fear and confusion.

Xu shook her head gently:

“The soldiers were naturally outspoken, but General Mi himself did not act rudely at all. On the contrary, he spoke highly of you, sir.”

Xu Miao opened his mouth, unsure how to comment.

On the contrary, Madam Xu, seeing him in such a state, seemed to understand him perfectly:

"Is the master afraid that he will do something bad in secret?"

Xu Miao frowned:

"He came all the way from Jiangxia, overcoming numerous obstacles. Surely he didn't come here just to curry favor with me?"

His gaze immediately fell on the wooden table.

Three pieces of yellow paper.

The letter was shot into the city three times.

Neatly laid out before my eyes.

Xu Miao closed his eyes.

The words were already etched into my mind.

The first time was when they lied and claimed that Guan Yu had already captured Wancheng.

The second time was when they falsely claimed that the rent for civilian land reclamation would be lower than that of the Great Wei.

The third time was when they lied about returning the hostages... no, they actually did return them.

Xu Miao suddenly opened his eyes and looked at his daughter, who looked completely bewildered.

Suddenly, he stared in astonishment.

Mrs. Xu was startled:
"What... what has the master thought of?"

Xu Miao: "Let me ask you. While you were in the enemy camp, did you hear any rumors? For example... about land allocation, household registration, or anything like that?"

After thinking for a moment, Xu nodded:

"That's true."

"It is said that Guan Yu intended to establish large-scale civilian settlements in Nanyang, modeled after the imperial court, with land rents 10% lower than those of the imperial court."

"When my daughter returned, I heard many villagers discussing whether she should just stay and join Guan Yu..."

boom!
Xu Miao slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly, rushing out the door.

……

The following afternoon, at the foot of Kunyang City.

Each side, Han and Wei, sent out several riders to meet in an open area beyond the range of their bows and crossbows.

Xu Miao finally saw the Han general named Mi Wei.

I was momentarily amazed by the other person's youth.

Mi Wei, however, had already found out Xu Miao's background, so he greeted him with respect and addressed him as "wise elder."

Xu Miao avoided the question and went straight to the point:

"Why do you use such grand words to deceive the people of our dynasty?"

Miwei remained calm in the face of it.

“Wei’s words are all sincere, so why does the elder brother have unfounded suspicions?”

Xu Miao sneered:

"If your country truly reduces land rent by 10%, and your granaries are empty in the future, how will you compete with the Holy Dynasty for the world?"

"This is of great benefit to the country, not something that ordinary merchants and traders can easily calculate."

"If even one household loses a penny, then thousands of households will suffer a total loss of hundreds of millions!"

“A good question, wise elder!” Mi Wei said calmly.

"To be honest, our Grand General (Guan Yu) had similar concerns about this plan before."

“But I told the general that this is not how it should be calculated.”

“If there are one hundred households in the world, and fifty in each of the two countries, and I collect one less unit of rent, then the total difference will be fifty units of interest.”

"Is this what you meant, elder?"

Seeing Xu Miao nod subconsciously, Mi Wei continued:
"But the problem is that those hundred households are not inanimate objects."

"A living being has hands and feet, can think, and can walk. They can weigh gains and losses."

"Why stay in your country if we can pay even a fraction less rent in our country?"

"If we are no match for you militarily, then the villagers and farmers will have no choice but to accept it."

"But now we have a choice, don't we?"

"Everyone pursues profit."

"If I concede one unit of profit, I can gain ten more households, which will be enough to make up for the loss." "But even if you gain one unit of profit, you lose ten households. What benefit do you ultimately gain?"

"And those willing to pursue profit are far more than just ten households."

"And the entire realm has far more than just a hundred households."

"If ninety percent of the people in the world were to submit to me, even if you could collect nine-tenths of the land rent, how would you fill your granaries?"

At this point, Mi Wei pointed to Kunyang City behind the other party and said:

"To accomplish great things, one must prioritize people. Without the right people, nothing can be accomplished!"

Xu Miao then looked in that direction.

By this time, the walls of Kunyang were already crowded with scholars and commoners who were watching.

Many of them were people who had just returned to the city yesterday.

Xu Miao sighed inwardly.

He was truly overwhelmed by the other party's "letter" this time.

He actually figured this out yesterday.

That's why we chose to meet today.

Xu Miao: "I have one more question."

Miwei: "Please!"

Xu Miao: "Now that I understand this principle, I will petition the court to reduce the burden on the people. Why should your country resist? Will you continue to reduce the burden?"

Mi Wei laughed:
"The Cao family has always admired the methods of Shen Buhai and Han Fei. Have you, elders, not heard of the story of Bian Que written by Han Feizi?"

“In the past, when Bian Que diagnosed Duke Huan of Cai, he said: ‘If the disease is in the skin and muscles, it can be treated with hot compresses; if it is in the skin, it can be treated with acupuncture and moxibustion; if it is in the stomach and intestines, it can be treated with herbal remedies; if it is in the bone marrow, it is under the jurisdiction of the god of fate, and there is nothing that can be done about it.’”

“It has been almost thirty years since the Cao family recruited people to cultivate land in Xuchang in the first year of Jian’an.”

"So many years have passed, and the interests of the local people, the interests of the central government, and the petty scheming everywhere have become deeply entrenched. How can you change them just by saying a few words?"

"Isn't it just going to be another empty shell, a 'Nine-Rank System' after all these changes?"

"Therefore, although your country is not yet morbidly ill, it will probably require extensive acupuncture and moxibustion, and strong administration of fire-based remedies. Only after this will it be able to cure the stubborn disease."

"In contrast, our dynasty..."

“It has been less than ten years since Your Majesty established Yizhou. Even if you have one or two illnesses, you can treat them slowly with hot compresses without harming your health.”

"This is the reason why a light boat is easy to turn around and a simple cart is easy to maneuver!"

Xu Miao sighed again.

He entered the Prime Minister's office as early as the tenth year of Jian'an, and has been working there for eighteen years. How could he not know what Mi Wei meant by "deeply rooted"?
This has always been the case.

Perhaps one day, Liu Bei's rule will also have "deep-rooted" forces.

But at least in this year, at this moment.

The system that Cao Wei found difficult to implement.

In the Shu Han dynasty, it might not be that difficult.

Not to mention, this is backed by a series of military victories.

Having thought this through, Xu Miao completely abandoned his futile thoughts and finally revealed his intentions:
"I intend to withdraw my troops from Kunyang. I wonder if Your Excellency can once again demonstrate the virtue of your country?"

Miwei: "Okay."

"But there's a condition."

“Those who wish to stay in the city should not be forcibly relocated.”

Xu Miao agreed without much thought.

In fact, he was more worried that those who harbored disloyal intentions would leave with him and spread the "virtue" of the enemy country all the way to Xuchang.

Although it was bound to happen sooner or later.

But it's best not to appear during his term.

He had made up his mind.

Once this matter is settled, he will use the excuse of the failure to defend the city to request to retire and then observe the changing situation of the world.

He was ultimately a local official in charge of a civilian settlement, not a military commander. Although he made mistakes, they did not damage his reputation.

There will always be a day when they can rise again.

If fate favors Wei, with the reputation he has accumulated over the years, he might not be unable to rise again.

If fate changes... then today's meeting is a foreshadowing.

With both sides having made up their minds, each gained something.

The details were then discussed without any further obstacles.

Three days later, Mi Wei voluntarily made way for Xu Miao and the others to leave the city.

The team assembled within an hour.

They all crossed the north bank of the Ru River before nightfall.

Such high efficiency is likely due to the fact that those who left were eager to return.

Mainly because there are few people
Afterwards, both sides took stock of the situation.

Of the soldiers and civilians in the city, those from prominent families in Yingchuan, 70% left and 30% stayed.

Of the settlers temporarily conscripted from the Xiangcheng area, as many as 80% chose to surrender to the Han.

Of course, it's said to be 80%.

Actually, there are fewer than two thousand people.

With the army gradually gathering in Yingchuan, numbering close to 100,000, it was insignificant.

Xu Miao's subsequent resignation petition did not attract enough attention in Luoyang, where high-ranking officials were everywhere, and was easily approved.

However, amidst the bustling crowds and the hustle and bustle of life...

One person still noticed this unusual resignation.

And the terrible truth hidden behind it.

It was Xin Pi, the Attendant-in-Ordinary and Commander-in-Chief, who had just arrived in Xuchang with the army.

(End of this chapter)