Three Kingdoms: Start by marrying Cai Yan, then vie for supremacy.

37

"If I could witness such a glorious era with my own eyes... perhaps I should really give Ziyi a chance?"

Thinking of this, Lu Zhi nodded solemnly: "In that case, I will stay at the academy for the time being."

He stared solemnly at Lu Feng: "I know your ambitions perfectly well. Seeing your diligent efforts in Donglai, I'd like to see if you can bring a better life to all the people. If you can, I have nothing to say; if not..."

"That old bastard Zheng Kangcheng actually went to Yanzhou to become the headmaster of an academy! He even boasted that he wanted to compete with me and see who was better at teaching and nurturing students!"

Cai Yong was so angry that he slammed his fist on the table.

"I absolutely cannot lose to him!"

This literary giant was like a sulking child at that moment.

Lu Zhi sighed and chuckled, "Wouldn't you call this cheating?"

He wondered to himself: Could it be that this old friend is asking me to be his pawn?

"Where is the cheating?" Cai Yong asked matter-of-factly, flicking his sleeves. "Didn't Zheng Kangcheng also bring in several helpers? What's wrong with me asking Brother Zigan for assistance?"

She then glanced at Lu Feng with a hint of resentment: "Besides, that old fellow has students all over the world, and now the Yanzhou Academy is full of his people. All the talents I've nurtured over the years have been lured away by someone to become officials."

Lu Feng touched his nose, pretending not to understand the complaint in the teacher's words.

"Hahaha!" Lu Zhi was amused by this remark. "You're so competitive at your age. Fine, I can't let you lose to Zheng Kangcheng."

He suddenly remembered something and turned to ask Lu Feng, "Isn't Yanzhou under your jurisdiction now? This Yanzhou Academy...?"

"It was I who established it," Lu Feng nodded and explained. "I am building a complete education system: primary schools in villages, elementary schools in counties, middle schools in prefectures, and universities in states. Only in this way can talents be selected at each level."

He continued with a piercing gaze, "We must not only cultivate intellectuals and politicians, but also establish disciplines such as military science, mathematics, astronomy, geography, and natural philosophy in the future. These are the foundation of governing the country."

Most of the powerful clans and local magnates would not support this change that would harm their interests.

"You've got quite the ambition, young man!" Lu Zhi said with a wry smile. "It seems the entire Han Dynasty can barely contain your lofty aspirations."

Lu Feng smiled brightly: "Teacher really understands me! My vision has never been limited to the thirteen provinces of the Han Dynasty. The vast grasslands of the north, the Southeast Asian peninsula in the south, the boundless ocean in the east, the countries of the Western Regions, the Indian subcontinent, and even distant Europe are all targets I want to conquer."

"I hope that one day, Chinese civilization will spread to all parts of the world and stand proudly at the top of the world forever." As a time traveler with special opportunities, wouldn't it be a waste of this extraordinary encounter if he couldn't realize such an ambition?

Lu Zhi scrutinized Lu Feng intently: "Do you still identify as a Han Chinese?" He had originally thought that Lu Feng would deny everything about the Han Dynasty.

"I have never denied the past glory and greatness of the Han Dynasty," Lu Feng responded sincerely, "and I am deeply proud to be Han Chinese!"

Lu Zhi, recognizing the sincerity in these words, became even more perplexed: "Then why do you want to implement new policies, attempting to erase the imprint of the Han Dynasty?"

"Teacher, you've misunderstood," Lu Feng explained, shaking his head. "I never intended to erase the traces of the Han Dynasty. These reforms were entirely for the well-being of the people and the sustainable development of Chinese civilization."

"Hasn't the teacher noticed? Every new policy is a solution to the deep-seated problems of the Han Dynasty. Everything in the world is changing; we must both inherit the essence of our culture and eliminate its drawbacks. Only in this way can we prevent history from repeating itself."

Next, Lu Feng gave Lu Zhi an in-depth analysis of the root causes of the decline of the Former Han Dynasty and the current situation, pointing out that land annexation and population expansion were the key issues.

"So that's how it is. So your land reform, weakening the power of aristocratic families, extending power to rural areas, strengthening local control, and promoting education reform were all for this purpose?"

After listening, Lu Zhi looked enlightened.

At this moment, he finally saw the whole picture.

It seems my student is indeed extraordinary!

He truly had no selfish motives.

Everything we are doing right now is truly for the benefit of the common people.

"Exactly!"

Lu Feng nodded firmly: "To avoid repeating the mistakes of the Former Han and the present Han, land reform and the suppression of powerful families are imperative! Otherwise, the chaos in this world will likely only subside after a significant portion of the population dies out, freeing up enough land, just like at the end of the Former Han!"

"And there is an even more serious problem—the Xianbei, Xiongnu, Wuhuan and other tribes that now occupy the north are no longer as powerful as they were at the end of the Former Han Dynasty. They have been growing stronger in recent years. If the population of the Han Dynasty were to suddenly decrease to one or two tenths, I can't even imagine how these fierce foreign tribes would ravage the Central Plains."

"Therefore, reform is of utmost urgency! Even if it offends all the powerful clans and wealthy families in the land, even if it severely slows down my unification of the world, this matter must be done! And it must be done thoroughly!"

The chaos and unrest caused by the Five Barbarian Tribes after the Western Jin Dynasty must never be repeated in this world.

He absolutely will not allow it.

"If you hadn't pointed it out, I truly wouldn't have realized that the aristocratic families had inflicted such harm on the world!"

Lu Zhi frowned deeply: "So this is the root cause of the decline of the Former Han and the present Han?"

"Ziyi! Your insight far surpasses that of ordinary people!"

"I used to think that the root of the problem was the emperor's favoritism towards eunuchs, the interference of relatives of the empress in politics, or the usurpation of power by powerful families like the Yuan family. Now it seems that these ideas were too simplistic."

Lu Feng pointed out the real crux of the problem!

"It was indeed necessary to suppress the powerful clans; you did the right thing!"

Lu Zhi nodded solemnly.

At the end of the Former Han Dynasty, nine out of ten houses were empty, and the national population was less than one-tenth of its peak.

Tens of millions of people died in the war.

Lu Zhi once thought that Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu's ability to revive the Han Dynasty was entirely due to his great talent and strategy, but now he realized that this was not entirely true. Favorable timing, geographical advantages, and popular support were the key factors in establishing the dynasty.

"Brilliant!" Cai Yong exclaimed in shock. "I used to think that eunuchs were the root of all evil in the country, but now I realize how narrow-minded I was." His teacup trembled slightly, and a few drops of brown paste spilled out.

Lu Feng chuckled, "Teacher, you are too modest. Eunuchs are nothing more than vicious dogs kept by the emperor to check and balance the powerful relatives and aristocratic families. When imperial power collapses, people like Zhang Rang will be like kites with broken strings." He casually turned a page of the chess manual, the black and white pieces reflecting the morning light.

Lu Zhi, holding the white piece, pondered: "The powerful clans, led by the Yuan family, have swallowed up imperial power, which has led to today's chaos." The piece landed with a "thud" on the wooden chessboard. "If we implement new policies, it will be tantamount to making enemies of all the gentry in the land."

"The students have their own plans." Lu Feng took out a scroll of bamboo slips from the sandalwood box. "Those who are willing to change their ways can still fall into my trap." The vermilion annotations on the slips still smelled of ink.

"A fool's dream!" Lu Zhi suddenly coughed, covering his white beard with a handkerchief. "The land restriction order alone is enough to make them fight to the death." Ginkgo leaves fell outside the window, covering the ruined game.

Lu Feng shrugged: "But even if they're driven away, they'll still lose their land! They won't even be able to keep what originally belonged to them!"

"How can that be the same?" Lu Zhi waved his hands repeatedly. "Those people think that as long as they don't recognize your new policies, even if they temporarily flee, they can still take back the land based on the land deeds when they come back later!"

"Ha!" Lu Feng couldn't help but laugh. "For you to say something like that shows you haven't really examined my new policy in detail, nor have you seen the actual situation after its implementation."

"Rest assured—even if I lose, they will not get their land back! The people who were allocated land will never agree to this!"

"Besides, I have no chance of losing."

"How can a mere one percent of the population, comprised of powerful clans and gentry, possibly contend with the remaining ninety-nine percent of the common people?"

"The people's hearts have already turned to me; as long as I don't make any foolish mistakes, victory is within my grasp."

Were his generals and troops just sitting idly by?

Lu Zhi remained silent. He hadn't actually delved into the details of the new policy's implementation, but he could imagine the level of public support for Lu Feng under it.

This is the source of Lu Feng's confidence, isn't it?

"Furthermore," Lu Feng suddenly raised an eyebrow, "you said that no noble family is willing to submit to me? That's not true."

"There are still some shrewd people. Take the recent enrollment at Yanzhou Academy, for example—many aristocratic families saw my potential and secretly prepared for the worst; more than half of the students come from various aristocratic families, although most of them are illegitimate sons or unfavored children."

But that's enough to illustrate the point.

They were both afraid of Lu Feng's strength and worried that he might actually succeed.

"Furthermore, the Chen family of Xuzhou and the Cai family of Jingzhou have secretly submitted to us; these are truly wise people."

"Actually, upon closer reflection, it becomes clear that my new policies never intentionally suppressed the aristocratic families. They were merely aimed at creating a relatively fair world, limiting their abuse of privileges, reclaiming power that shouldn't have belonged to them in the first place—and incidentally curbing their ambitions."

---

He, Lu Feng, is clearly on the side of the powerful families! He actually keeps saying he's doing it for their sake!

Lu Zhi remained silent.

Cai Yong was speechless.

How can you claim to be doing this for the benefit of others when you are clearly diminishing their interests?

The two had to admire Lu Feng's shamelessness.

However, perhaps it is precisely such shameless people who can achieve great things.

Lu Zhi stroked his beard and said, "The Chen family of Xuzhou and the Cai family of Jingzhou? Chen Gui and Cai Feng are shrewd men. They know you urgently need talent, and that serving them now will secure them high positions. In the end, they will not only suffer no loss, but will actually rise even higher."

"Even if they have to relinquish some rights, they'll still be making a profit. After all, these families haven't been able to leave the state yet."

Ultimately, it's nothing more than a weighing of interests.

"Top clans like the Yuan and Yang families of Hongnong will never submit unless they are in dire straits and you are about to unify the world."

As long as there is any hope, these powerful families will fight like cornered beasts.

"Exactly." Lu Feng nodded. "I never expected to recruit these kinds of powerful families. Their absence actually makes things cleaner. These cancerous growths should be eradicated completely."

"These families have been entrenched for centuries; which one didn't rise to power by stepping on corpses? The new era needs to be paved with their blood."

In Lu Feng's plan, only a very few top families, such as the Xun family, will be able to escape this calamity in the future.

Even so, they still need to be subject to liquidation and constraints.

The remaining top-tier clans will all become sacrificial lambs for the new policies.

Seeing that Lu Feng had decided the fate of so many noble families with just a few words, Lu Zhi couldn't help but sigh.

Perhaps history will record this moment?

But at this moment, Lu Zhi actually agreed with Lu Feng's approach.

These necromantic cancers that have plagued these families for hundreds of years should be eradicated.

Wasn't the Han Dynasty's empire completely devoured by these parasites?

---

Isn't this the consequence of those powerful families fighting for power and acting recklessly?

Without the Yuan family's scheming, how could He Jin have let wolves into the house and summoned Dong Zhuo and Ding Yuan? The disaster in Luoyang would never have happened.

Perhaps the Han dynasty wouldn't collapse so quickly.

If it weren't for the power struggles and infighting among aristocratic families, how could the imperial power have declined to such an extent?

If the aristocratic officials hadn't been so ruthless in their land grabbing, how could the dynasty have fallen to such a state?

It's all the fault of these powerful and influential families!

"Enough! I no longer wish to concern myself with these matters! You must walk your own path from now on! I am old; I will find something to do at Donglai Academy!"

Lu Zhi shook his head sadly.

The Han Dynasty will eventually become history.

Even without Lu Feng's appearance, the state would probably be unable to maintain its stability.

He had lost interest in officialdom.

"Haha! I couldn't be happier!"

Cai Yong laughed heartily.

"That's excellent."

Lu Feng smiled faintly, "Teacher, you've toiled half your life. Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could recuperate at the academy and teach students in your spare time? You might even achieve the reputation of having 'students all over the world'!"

Seeing that Lu Zhi could take it easy, Lu Feng was secretly pleased.

He realized that his teacher's inner conflict had been largely resolved.

The rest is up to time.

At least the elderly person should be physically and mentally fine.

"snort!"

Lu Zhi sneered at Lu Feng: "Do you really want me to enjoy my retirement, or are you just trying to find ways to give me tasks?"

How much effort must one put into educating and nurturing students so that they can have students all over the world?