He originally intended to surrender to Wei, so why did he end up restoring Han?

Chapter 65 The Economic Reasons for the Xenophobia of the Xuzhou Faction

"Therefore, my view is that once these places are taken back, we should immediately use the pretext of confiscating bandit property to reorganize the household registration and land records."

A sharp glint flashed in Chen Qun's eyes: "Please authorize me, Your Excellency, to immediately dispatch officials after taking over the cities, using the inventory of land and people seized by Zheng Bao and the lawless powerful as a starting point, to thoroughly re-compile the household registers and clarify the ownership of the land."

"This method has two advantages: first, it allows for the precise resettlement of displaced people, winning popular support; second, it enables the identification and weakening of local powers with excessive ties to Sun Ce, firmly controlling the economic lifeline in the hands of the prefecture, rather than local tyrants. This is the essence of 'turning land into soil,' and even with short-term pain, it can prevent the future threat of being attacked from both sides."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei nodded solemnly: "Changwen's words are indeed prudent. This is the strategy of consolidating the foundation. If Changwen hadn't reminded me, I wouldn't have thought of this."

At this moment, Mi Zhu also spoke up with a smile: "My lord, I have a plan that may allow us to turn Jiangdong into our own territory."

"Even if Sun Ce manages to bring back some supplies during his retreat, Jiangdong itself has already suffered from prolonged warfare and is severely lacking in resources. The supplies Sun Ce brings back will be a drop in the ocean for the entire Jiangdong region, and will not be enough at all. Meanwhile, under the lord's rule, Xuzhou's treasury is already quite full, especially in salt, iron, and cloth, where there are considerable surpluses."

"Therefore, I suggest that the trade blockade against Jiangdong be lifted immediately, and that caravans be organized to travel south in large numbers for trade."

Mi Zhu's words surprised everyone, but he immediately explained: "This method has three advantages. First, there are economic benefits. We can sell Xuzhou's surplus materials at high prices, absorb the wealth of Jiangdong, and use their money to further promote the development of Xuzhou."

"Secondly, strategically, caravans are our army's best eyes and ears, allowing us to freely gather intelligence on the strengths and weaknesses of Jiangdong. We can have a clear understanding of information such as Sun Ce's relationship with various social classes in the region and the speed at which Jiangdong's overall strength is recovering, providing a reference for our subsequent strategies."

"Thirdly, we should demonstrate the strength of Xuzhou to the people of Jiangdong. In particular, compared to Sun Ce, who is known for his aggressive military campaigns, a ruler like you who prioritizes the well-being of the people is undoubtedly a better choice. Soon, the people of Jiangdong will begin to consider this. At that time, the sentiments of the people will become more nuanced."

He concluded by adding, "As for those pirates of Chaohu Lake, after they are granted amnesty, they can be used to train a naval force and serve as escorts for merchants. However, they must be reorganized and reorganized to prevent anyone from being tempted by wealth and taking risks."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei's eyes gleamed. These men's strategies were excellent; these actions would not only allow Liu Bei to establish a firm foothold in Huainan and other areas, but also provide the necessary preconditions for his next move.

"Alright! Let's leave it at that then." Liu Bei clapped his hands, indicating his satisfaction. After discussing some minor details, the group dispersed.

"Changwen, Wenyuan, wait a moment, I have some other things to discuss with you." But just as everyone was leaving, Liu Bei called out to Chen Qun and Lu Guan.

"Wen Yuan, how's the investigation going with those people spreading rumors?"

"We've found out, but—" Lu Wan swallowed hard and continued, "There are quite a few people involved. Rather, it's more accurate to say that only a few aristocratic families didn't do this."

"Moreover, according to the information I found, their exclusion of outsiders is not only due to political reasons, but also to economic factors."

Liu Bei was taken aback for a moment, then asked curiously, "Are they unhappy because they see outsiders making money?"

Lu Wan nodded and then shook her head, explaining, "My lord, as you know, many workshops have been built along the Sishui River recently. Since the Xuzhou government's treasury didn't have many resources at the beginning, we also allowed the powerful families and clans in Xuzhou and the surrounding areas to invest in these workshops."

"The profits from each workshop have now reached a point where these powerful families of Xuzhou would rather be called shameless than not take it all for themselves."

The most profitable project in Xuzhou right now is seawater salt production. There are ten new multi-level salt fields, which have already produced more than 100,000 shi (1 shi in the Han Dynasty was about 20 liters, and the weight of salt was about 30 jin per jie, and 1 jin was about 250 grams). In peacetime, the price of salt fluctuates between 100 and 200 qian.

However, now, everything is in turmoil. Qingzhou and Jizhou both had their own salt fields, but they have been almost completely destroyed by the war. In particular, the tug-of-war between Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan in Jizhou has focused on destroying each other's most valuable assets, so the restoration of the salt administration in Jizhou has been put on hold.

According to the original historical development, the salt administration in Ji and Qing provinces would have been rebuilt in the third year of Jian'an (200 AD). However, Liu Bei's high-quality sea salt directly blocked this possibility. When the powerful families of Ji province saw that there was better salt in the south, which was not only much cheaper than well salt but also only slightly lower in quality, why would the people of Ji province still want to set up salt fields? Not only would they bear the costs for nothing, but their salt could not compete with that of Xu province.

Salt in Xuzhou sold for 2000 coins per shi (a unit of dry measure), but people from Jizhou bought it and immediately doubled the price, selling it for 4000 coins per shi in Bingzhou or Youzhou, making a huge profit. Some ruthless individuals even managed to sell it for as high as 6000 coins per shi. Driven by such exorbitant profits, the powerful families of Jizhou were extremely eager to buy salt from Xuzhou, essentially buying up every quantity released into the market. Some people even rented a house in Xuzhou and set up an office there to expedite transactions, so they could get their hands on a batch of salt first thanks to their proximity.

If we apply the current revenue to the whole year and deduct 20% for costs, then Xuzhou's annual salt revenue would be around 800 million coins. Even if the salt supply increased later and the annual revenue was halved, Xuzhou would still receive nearly 400 million coins.

At its peak, the Eastern Han Dynasty's annual fiscal revenue was approximately 4 to 5 billion coins. Xuzhou, however, now earns nearly 9 to 18 percent of that nation's peak revenue just from salt sales alone—an astonishingly high profit margin.

If we include papermaking, book printing, and iron smelting, Xuzhou's annual income could reach 800 to 1.2 billion yuan. Such a scale of wealth is simply too attractive, and it's no wonder that the prominent families of Xuzhou don't want others to share in the pie.

Over the years, the income was distributed according to the investment amounts of the Xuzhou aristocratic families, resulting in an astonishing increase in the wealth of each family. Among them, the Chen and Mi families, who were among the first to join, reaped the greatest rewards. As for those in other places who joined late or not at all, they were green with envy, wishing that those who joined early would immediately sell their shares and let them join instead.