The Three Kingdoms: Zhaolie, the strategist, and the rise of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 295 Liu Bei: Why not learn from Cao Cao? A man has pride.
Meanwhile, Zhao Yun led his army to capture Guiyang, thus establishing a great achievement for the Qi army.

There was a little incident in the middle.

Zhao Fan, the prefect of Guiyang, wanted to marry his widowed sister-in-law to Zhao Yun.

Zhao Fan also had his own ulterior motives.

He thought to himself that he was just a local governor in a remote place.

Zhao Yun held a high position and great power in the State of Qi. If one could establish a marriage alliance with him, there would be opportunities for advancement in the future.

However, Zhao Yun was a man of exceptional integrity, and firmly declined the offer.

After some maneuvering, Guiyang was eventually reclaimed by Zhuge Liang.

However, the surrendered general Zhao Fan dared not contact Zhao Yun again.

When Zhuge Liang arrived, considering that Zhao Yun had no wife, he advised him to take Lady Fan as his wife.

Zhao Yun, worried that it would damage his reputation, refused outright.

Zhuge Liang looked troubled and fell into deep thought.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Yun asked:

"Does the strategist perhaps feel that there is something inappropriate about Youyun's trip?"

Zhuge Liang waved his feather fan and looked north.

Zhao Yun suddenly realized and hurriedly asked:
What has happened in the Central Plains?

Zhuge Liang nodded and looked at Zhao Yun.

Zhao Yun took a book from his sleeve and accepted it with both hands.

It turns out that this book was actually a letter of advice written by Li Yi to Liu Bei.

Zhao Yun was momentarily bewildered and asked curiously:

"How did the Prime Minister's remonstrance end up in the hands of the strategist?"

Zhuge Liang said, "Zilong, why don't you read the contents of the letter first, and then discuss this matter with me?"

Zhao Yun nodded and unfolded the scroll to take a look.

Indeed, it was written by Prime Minister Li himself. The letter reads in brief:

—"Your humble servant, Yi, is filled with trepidation and trepidation as I respectfully report:"

"I have heard that the way to govern a country is to start with the common people."

“Since the Zhongping era, the country has been in turmoil, and the world has been in chaos for more than 30 years.”

"Although thanks to Your Majesty's divine might, the royal army has quelled the rebellion and peace is gradually being restored."

"However, upon examining the household registers, one still sees the tragic state of the people, where not even one in a hundred is spared."

"After I returned to Hebei, I traveled to various prefectures and counties and found that the number of men was dwindling."

"In the countryside, widows are commonplace; in the marketplace, women with knives and rings are everywhere."

“In villages, the vulgar custom of sharing wives is not uncommon, which is a great violation of propriety.”

"In my opinion, there are many unmarried widows, young widows, and women without husbands or children in the world."

"These people are all alone, their only companions."

"They either freeze and starve in ditches, or fall into prostitution."

"Widowed women face hardship in their livelihood."

"The men are less capable of farming, and their weaving is insufficient to provide for their food and clothing, so they are often bullied by powerful and influential people."

"Therefore, I humbly request that widows be allowed to choose their own husbands, and that those who bully the widow and orphan be severely punished."

“When Guan Zhong governed Qi, he established women’s quarters to accommodate the women who frequented the city.”

"Now that Your Majesty wishes to revive the Han Dynasty, you should follow the correct path."

"Although I am in charge of all officials, changes in etiquette and customs are related to the foundation of the country, so I risk my life to report this."

"In the autumn of the twelfth year of Jian'an, Chancellor Chen Yi bowed his head."

Zhao Yun was a military general, but he rarely participated in politics.

But Prime Minister Li always manages to come up with something new, which surprises Zhao Yun as well.

Now he understood why Zhuge Liang had Li Yi's letter of remonstrance.

Zhuge Liang then began to explain:

"The matter reported by Prime Minister Li is about changing customs and habits, which is a major national issue."

"His Majesty the King of Qi believes that this matter concerns social customs and etiquette, and must be handled with utmost care."

"Therefore, this book was sent to various places, and we were asked to examine it one by one before submitting a memorial to the throne."

Li Yi proposed a policy to encourage widows to remarry, which was essentially a disguised way of encouraging childbirth and promoting population growth.

Indeed, thanks to the joint efforts of Liu Bei and Li Yi, the population within the territory of Qi did not decrease on a large scale.

But this is only in comparison to chaotic times, not to true times of peace and prosperity.

That was a tragic situation where only one in a hundred people survived.

There's nothing that can be done about it; there's a fundamental difference between a unified dynasty and an era of warring states.

The late Han Dynasty was either at war or on its way to war.

If Li Yi can ensure that the population does not decline, then he will already be remembered in history.

How dare we compare our total population with that of a unified dynasty in a time of peace and prosperity?
Having said that,

Li Yi still hopes to intervene in the market through the government's "visible hand".

Population growth was promoted by encouraging widows to remarry.

The reason for starting with widows was...

Or perhaps it was because the war took the lives of many men.

Many women became widows before they were even married.

Therefore, in his memorial to the throne, Li Yi not only proposed encouraging widows to remarry, but also suggested that they should be treated with humanistic care.

Their husbands and children died on the battlefield, leaving them destitute and alone.

They are already a vulnerable group and should not be discriminated against by society.

Admittedly, the Han Dynasty was relatively tolerant of widows, after all, Neo-Confucianism had not yet risen to prominence at that time.

But this does not mean that widows can truly live the same life as ordinary women in society.

For upright, traditional men like Zhao Yun, it was considered a loss of chastity for a woman to remarry, and they were unwilling to marry her.

Unless absolutely necessary, widows are certainly not their first choice.

"What is the strategist's opinion on this matter?"

Zhao Yun knew perfectly well that Zhuge Liang showing him this book must have a hidden meaning.

Zhuge Liang pondered for a moment and said:

"When Li Xiang was in Hebei, he offered advice based on local customs."

"King Qi knew this was true, so he issued this book to Qing, You, Liaodong, Huainan, and Jingzhou, which was under Liang's jurisdiction."

"We are all important ministers of Fang Yue, and we are familiar with the people of this country."

"The King of Qi was afraid that different customs might cause unforeseen changes and damage his reputation."

"Therefore, we are ordered to present our views in order to determine a good strategy."

Liu Bei was a benevolent ruler.

Previously, Zhuge Jin's act of "not raising his newborn son" prompted Liu Bei to issue a special order forbidding parents from abandoning their newborn children.

This was Liu Bei's way of upholding the basic human relationships between father and son.

But it also made Liu Bei realize that there really are different customs in different places.

Zhuge Jin was a renowned scholar, and his practice of not raising his sons despite having children still garnered him a lot of admiration.

This proves once again that every place has its own customs and traditions.

Li Yi's proposed policy this time had a greater impact, forcing Liu Bei to be cautious.

The books were specially sent to the highest officials of each prefecture and county.

It was because Zhuge Liang, Chen Deng, and others understood the local customs.

Let them express their opinions based on the actual situation.

Liu Bei would consider the matter carefully before deciding on the final policy.

"...What does the strategist think of Prime Minister Li's advice to the widow to remarry?"

Zhao Yun asked again.

Zhuge Liang put down his feather fan, paced back and forth a couple of times, and said solemnly:

“Excellent suggestion! I have personally observed the lands of Jingzhou and Xiangyang.”

"Liu Jingsheng was weak and incompetent, failed to implement virtuous policies, and lacked the authority to enforce punishments."

“There are unmarried widows whose parents drive them away as if they were filthy.”

“Those who die to uphold their chastity will have their fields and houses seized by their clan.”

"Those who fall into poverty often end up in brothels."

As he spoke, he slammed his hand on the table and praised Li Yi, saying:

"Prime Minister Li's strategy saved the lives of people from ditches and ravines; it was a benevolent act."

"Increasing the population and filling the treasury is a wise move."

"It is righteous to rectify customs and eliminate bad habits."

"Such a benevolent, wise, and righteous act should not be met with hesitation in Jingzhou; we should be the first to respond!"

Zhuge Liang regarded Li Yi as his senior and mentor, and Li Yi's new policies were in line with his own governing philosophy.

Therefore, Zhuge Liang believed that Jingzhou should not only vote in favor of this, but should also be the first to respond!
Upon seeing this, Zhao Yun immediately clapped his hands and praised it:
"Since the strategist understands the reasoning, how could I dare disobey?"

At this point, even a fool could understand what Zhuge Liang meant.

Someone came specifically to talk to you, saying that Prime Minister Li is implementing new policies, and you are a local high-ranking official, shouldn't you set an example?

There's no better time than today, and the newlyweds aren't exactly ordinary people anyway.

The two families could be considered a good match.

Therefore, following Zhuge Liang's advice, Zhao Yun decided to marry Lady Fan to rectify the customs.

On that day, Kongming specially set up an elegant room in the villa in Jingzhou.

Behind the screen, lily incense burned, and Lady Fan sat upright within.

Having spent half his life on the battlefield, when has Zilong ever been alone with a woman?
Before removing his battle robe, he adjusted his crown, his tiger-like hands trembling slightly as he held a teacup.

His gaze shifted, as if he were facing an enemy battle.

Lady Fan then covered her face with her sleeve and chuckled softly:
"I heard that the general can move through a million-strong army as if it were empty."

"His white robe was stained with blood, yet he did not even flinch."

"I am neither a flood nor a beast, so why do you feel as if you have encountered an army of 100,000 when you see me today?"

Zhao Yun was greatly embarrassed and said with a blush:

"Madam, you're joking..."

Just as they were feeling awkward, they suddenly heard the sound of a feather fan gently waving.

Kongming entered with a smile:

"A match made in heaven, why be shy?"

"Zilong is a peerless hero, and Lady Liangguan is also a beauty that could topple kingdoms."

"As the saying goes, a beauty is matched with a hero, and today is an auspicious day, perfect for a joyous occasion for the two of you."

So he took the mandarin duck brocade handkerchief as a token, and summoned Zhao Fan inside, where he reconciled with Zhao Yun.

Zhao Fan entered in a panic and knelt down to beg for forgiveness.

Zhao Yun helped him up and gently comforted him:

"Past events are like smoke, and I hope my brother will forgive any inappropriate remarks I may have made that day."

"From now on, our two families will be on good terms, and you will be my brother."

Zhao Fan wept and thanked him, bowing his head repeatedly.

That night, during their wedding night, Lady Fan, with tears in her eyes, said:

"I was born with a tragic fate, but the General has not abandoned me..."

Zilong gently wiped away his tears and said:
"Having spent half my life wandering, I now have a virtuous wife; it is Heaven's mercy upon me."

It is:

Changshan Bailong removes his battle robe.
The red candles of Jingxiang illuminate the beautiful woman.

The silver spear probed the peach blossom path.
A touch of cinnabar falls onto the snow-white silk.

……

Qingzhou, Linzi.

At that time, Guan Yu, the governor of Qingzhou, also received the new policies of Li Yi from Liu Bei.

Guan Yu knelt before the table, unfolding the scroll and examining it closely.

After a long while, he slightly opened his phoenix eyes, stroked his long beard, and pondered:

"...It's fine for a widow to remarry, but why make such a fuss about it?"

"To involve the state would be making a mountain out of a molehill."

Guan Yu was an extremely upright person, and he did not oppose women remarrying.

I just feel that it's a bit much to have the government specifically step in to encourage this.

Just then, news came that Grand Master Kong Rong had arrived.

After Guan Yu took office in Qingzhou, Kong Rong was taken along because of his outstanding political achievements in Qingzhou.

Kong Rong, wearing a tall hat and wide belt, holding the Book of Rites, spoke rapidly before even performing the proper salutation:

"My lord! Prime Minister Li's proposal is absolutely unacceptable!"

“The sage said: ‘Once you are with someone, you will never change your mind for life.’ Therefore, she will not remarry after her husband’s death.”

"A woman is meant to follow a man; how can she remarry?"

Kong Rong was extremely agitated.

In ordinary society, there are many powerful and wealthy people who marry widows, and Kong Rong would not say anything about it.

After all, Kong Rong couldn't control who wanted to marry.

But seeing that Li Yi was going to legalize the remarriage of widows and even introduce relevant policies to encourage and support it.

Make remarriage a social norm for women.

This was something that Kong Rong, as a 20th-generation descendant of Confucius, absolutely could not accept.

"...Your Excellency is also well-versed in the Spring and Autumn Annals."

"When one understands the principles of the Spring and Autumn Annals, one learns that after the death of Duke Gong of Song, Bo Ji remained chaste for thirty-five years, and the sage wrote 'Buried Gong Ji of Song' to praise her."

"Ji Shuji returned to Xi, upholding righteousness without wavering, and her integrity was greatly admired in the Spring and Autumn Annals."

"Li Xiang's actions are undoubtedly an attempt to undermine the established moral order and lead beasts to devour people."

Kong Rong became increasingly agitated as he spoke, and then lowered his voice to say:

"Furthermore, he cites Guan Zhong's 'Nülu' as an example, but little does he know that Guan Zhong united the feudal lords nine times and brought order to the world, yet Mencius still criticized him as having 'merits as insignificant as those of Guan Zhong!'"

"Given Li Xiang's outstanding achievements, perhaps they are not necessarily greater than Guan Zhong's?"

Guan Ping was by his side at the time. He had followed Li Yi for two years and knew Li Yi's character well.

Seeing that Kong Rong spoke rudely to Li Yi, he immediately retorted:
"Isn't Doctor Kong's statement an overstatement?"

"Although Guan Zhong's achievements were unparalleled, he helped Duke Huan become the first hegemon of the Spring and Autumn Period."

"But wasn't Prime Minister Li also assisting the King in sweeping away the six directions and conquering the eight wastelands?"

"Today, we have five of the nine provinces under heaven. Even when Guan Zhong was assisting Duke Huan, he might not have had such military prowess."

"What about civil administration?"

At this point, Kong Rong immediately interrupted Guan Ping.

"Are you talking about Wenzhi?"

"Li Xiang abandoned the principles of the Spring and Autumn Annals and corrupted the moral order and human relations. He should be nailed to the pillar of historical shame!"

When Guan Ping mentioned Li Yi's martial arts skills, Kong Rong was unable to refute him.

When discussing civil administration, Kong Rong knew that Guan Ping would definitely talk about Li Yi's land reclamation, land surveying, and river and canal repair, among other civil administration initiatives.

If Guan Ping were to give an example, it would be very disadvantageous for Kong Rong in the debate.

So before Guan Ping could give an example, Kong Rong interrupted him.

He acknowledged Li Yi's civil and military achievements, but firmly opposed the "New Policies" that Li Yi wanted to implement.

As the saying goes, "One who stays near vermilion gets stained red, and one who stays near ink gets stained black." Li Yi is the center of attention wherever he goes, and others are easily influenced by him.

Guan Ping was no exception; he deeply admired Li Yi.

I blindly support any measures taken by Li Yi.

Even if there are things he doesn't understand, he'll fill in the gaps in his own mind.

Anyway, Prime Minister Li is wise and capable, he certainly won't make a mistake.

Therefore, without fear that Kong Rong was a senior, he immediately retorted: "This is the Han Dynasty, not the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods."

"How could Confucius apply the principles of the Spring and Autumn Annals to the rites of the Han Dynasty!"

you!!

Kong Rong was so angry that his beard stood on end. He flung his sleeves and exclaimed, "This is utterly unreasonable!"

Then, he looked at Guan Yu and said with some reproach:

"General Guan, take a look at your son. How much has he learned from Prime Minister Li these past two years?"

“Back then, I advised the general to entrust his son to me, but the general refused and insisted on handing him over to Prime Minister Li.”

"Look at them! Only two years have passed, and they've already forgotten the Spring and Autumn Annals!"

The father read the Spring and Autumn Annals every day, but his son didn't recognize it. If this got out, it would surely become a laughing stock.

Guan Yu's face turned ashen, and he remained silent.

Just as they were arguing, the registrar Wang Xiu arrived.

Kong Rong was overjoyed and immediately pulled Wang Xiu aside, saying to him:

"Shuzhi has arrived at just the right time. I was just discussing Prime Minister Li's new policies with you, my lord."

"What is your opinion, Uncle Zhi?"

As mentioned before, the reason why Kong Rong was bad at fighting was because his standards for selecting generals were too strict.

They needed to have a good family background, be well-educated, and be good at fighting.

According to this standard, it would be easy to promote outstanding generals, which is why they were brutally beaten by the Yellow Turban Army.

However, Wang Xiu perfectly met all three conditions and was recommended by Kong Rong as a candidate for the civil service examination.

In other words, Wang Xiu was essentially a disciple and former subordinate of Kong Rong.

Faced with such a crucial decision, Wang Xiu had no reason not to speak up for his former boss.

Moreover, Wang Xiu and Kong Rong were of the same kind, both extremely traditional.

Upon hearing Kong Rong's question, Wang Xiu immediately stated his opinion:
"...When Duke Wen of Jin accepted Huai Ying as his concubine, Confucius called him 'cunning but not upright'."

"When Lady Xuan of Wei remarried the Marquis of Qi, people at the time said that the trouble originated from Jiang."

“We are in a time of chaos, and many have died in battle, leaving women to remain widows.”

Therefore, there was nothing wrong with her remarrying.

"To simply enact a law to encourage remarriage would be going too far."

Guan Yu's phoenix eyes were half-closed. After pondering for a while, he slowly said:
"What you two said...is not without merit..."

He tapped his fingers lightly on the table. "Widows certainly shouldn't be mistreated, but the state should enact special legislation to encourage remarriage..."

He shook his head at this, saying, "It's perhaps an overcorrection."

Guan Ping couldn't help but interject:
“But Father, Prime Minister Li’s actions were intended to protect the widow.”

"Just last month, there were reports in Beihai that a powerful family had taken advantage of a widow and her child and forcibly seized their land."

Guan Yu raised his hand to stop him:

"Guan has already brought the perpetrator to justice in this matter."

He paused slightly, then continued:

"It is not that I am unreasonable, but that etiquette and law cannot be easily disregarded."

The following day, Qingzhou cast a vote against it.

Although Guan Yu himself had a good relationship with Li Yi, especially since Li Yi had helped him take care of his son for two years.

Logically, given their friendship, Guan Yu should have supported Li Yi in implementing the new policies.

However, the education Guan Yu received from childhood made him unable to tolerate the government intervening and encouraging women to remarry.

For this reason, Guan Yu even wrote a special letter to Li Yi, in which he wrote:

Yu bowed to the Prime Minister:

"Widows are pitiful, but the fundamental principles of morality are even greater."

"Qingzhou is a remote place, and I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to comply."

"We'll share a drink another day and reminisce about our deepest feelings."

Qingzhou and Jingzhou were both large prefectures.

The votes cast in these two locations carry significant weight.

As for where the weight is low?

……

Pingzhou, Liaodong.

After defeating Goguryeo, Lü Bu became arrogant and complacent, and spent his days drinking with his generals.

After getting drunk, he would go back and select women to serve him in bed.

He can't enjoy himself without working with three to five women every day, and this is how it is every single day.

On this day, Lü Bu also received Li Yi's "Memorial to Widows on Remarrying".

He was feasting with his generals when he read this book and burst into laughter:

"What's so strange about a woman remarrying? In this Marquis's manor..."

His gaze then caught Liu Ye's signal, so he changed his words and said:

"Ahem... This is a wise and effective strategy for the benefit of the country!"

Having finished speaking, he raised his cup and asked the generals:
"What do you think?"

The men under Lü Bu came from the border regions.

They were not bound by etiquette and law, and were mostly indifferent to Li Yi's new policies.

Hou Cheng stroked his beard and said:
"According to the old customs of Bingzhou, re-offering of wedding rites was not prohibited."

"There is nothing wrong with Li Xiang's desire to encourage women to remarry."

Song Xian raised his glass and said with a smile:

"Lord Wen just rewarded me with three widows last month... Of course, I should support such a good thing!"

Although the generals in Liaodong all expressed indifference to Li Yi's new policies.

But they didn't want to offend Li Yi, so they all expressed their support.

As for Lü Bu, he was thinking about his daughter who lived in Hebei.

Then he should try even harder to please Li Yi so that he can take good care of his daughter.

So he struck the table to settle the matter:

"Since everyone has no objections, then let's quickly agree!"

He then personally took up his pen to review the documents, but suddenly remembered something and called the clerk over:

"Let me add one more thing—Pingzhou specially presents one hundred warhorses to celebrate the new policy."

Of all the people present, only Lady Wei was unhappy.

The implementation of the new policy will lead to a large number of women getting married.

After all, many of the widows of this era were young girls who had never lost their virginity.

Her husband was a womanizer, and once the new policies were implemented...

Wouldn't that give Lü Bu even more reason to take concubines without restraint?
Wei then privately approached Lü Bu and advised him:
"The King of Qi sent this memorial out of the hope that Liaodong would carefully consider it."

"But since my husband has made this decision so hastily, shouldn't we discuss it again?"

Logically speaking, women should not participate in politics.

However, Lü Bu was easily influenced and mostly listened to his wife.

This led to Lady Wei, and even many of her concubines, daring to offer their opinions to Lü Bu from time to time.

Although many times, they were just using Lü Bu's position as governor to benefit their families.

This time, however, Lü Bu's attitude was unusually resolute.

He also knew very well how to persuade his wife.

"Stop nagging! Lingqi is still in Hebei!"

"If you don't think about the people of Liaodong, why don't you think about our daughter?"

Wei then realized his mistake and no longer objected to the new policies.

Pingzhou then voted in favor.

……

All that's left are Huainan and Yuzhou.

Chen Deng of Huainan and Li Yi were sworn brothers. Chen Deng was able to annex the entire Huainan region largely thanks to Li Yi's assistance.

Now that Li Yi wants to implement new policies, he has no reason to oppose it.

Without almost any hesitation, Huainan cast its vote in favor.

As for Yuzhou, it was not actually Liu Bei's political or economic center.

These areas were mostly strategic locations, with Pei State being particularly important.

After the death of Chen Gui, the former chancellor of Pei, Xin Pi succeeded him as chancellor of Pei.

Xin Pi was originally a former official from Hebei and had also served in the Prime Minister's office, making him essentially a protégé and former subordinate of Li Yi.

He naturally had no reason to object and immediately expressed his opinion.

This trip may provoke discontent among some people in Pei, but as the Prime Minister of Pei, he will certainly give his full support to Prime Minister Li's new policies.

As a result, opinions were subsequently given by various prefectures and counties.

Except for Qingzhou, most people expressed their support for Li Yi.

Looking at the documents sent back from various places on his desk, Liu Bei couldn't help but sigh:
"How widely Li Xiang's virtue has benefited people!"

"Despite the criticism from the public, the governors and prefects of all directions supported and supported him."

Liu Bei remarked that his prime minister was truly popular.

He was actually under a lot of pressure when he implemented this new policy.

However, the highest-ranking officials in various regions were willing to support Li Yi and help him suppress his subordinates.

This is not just a matter of policy transparency; it also demonstrates that Li Yi has a very good relationship with his colleagues.

This relationship is different from "forming cliques for personal gain".

Because they are not colleagues in the same unit, strictly speaking, there is no direct interaction of interests between them.

The fact that he is now willing to subdue his subordinates for him shows how charismatic he is.

The old succubus was now marveling at the young succubus's charm.

He was not jealous of Li Yi.
Because Liu Bei knew that even someone as charismatic as Li Yi had been "bewitched" by him.
Liu Bei viewed this issue with great magnanimity.

At this moment, a group of high-ranking officials from Xuzhou, led by Lu Su, arrived together.

Among the people of Xuzhou, there were both new and old officials.

Most of the former officials had worked with Li Yi, such as Lu Su and Jian Yong.

New officials such as Hua Xin and Wang Lang had never even met Li Yi.

They were divided into two factions.

Most of the former officials supported Li Yi's new policies, while the new officials opposed them.

Liu Bei glanced around and, not seeing Zhang Fei, the governor of Xu Province, asked Jian Yong:

"...Where has Yide gone?"

This……

Jian Yong paused, then said:

"The three generals said that the matter of the new policies should be decided by His Majesty himself."

"It is inconvenient for him to participate."

In fact, Zhang Fei's original words were, "I'm most afraid of those tedious things."

"The officials of Xuzhou are arguing endlessly over this trivial matter."

"Mr. Lao Jian, please inform my brother Wang that I am not involved in this matter."

However, in public, Jian Yong simplified things slightly.

"Nonsense!"

Liu Bei looked displeased and couldn't help but rebuke him:
"This black fellow is getting lazier and lazier."

"As the governor, he doesn't even get involved in this matter."

Liu Bei scolded him, sounding somewhat exasperated.

To know,
Liu Bei had always wanted to cultivate Zhang Fei into a man of exceptional talent, like Zhao Hu, who could conquer the world on horseback and govern the country with civil administration.

Zhang Fei's martial arts skills have not declined, but he has made no progress in politics.

Xuzhou was the heart of the Qi Kingdom, and Liu Bei entrusted such an important place to Zhang Fei.

The intention was quite clear: to cultivate him.

However, Zhang Fei ultimately failed to live up to Liu Bei's high expectations for him.

As the top official in the province and his own brother, he chose to evade the issue when faced with a policy that would affect the entire country!
How could Liu Bei not be furious?
“…Zhongkang, go and capture that black-clad fellow and bring him to me!”

Liu Bei immediately ordered Xu Chu to lead the Tiger Guards to capture Zhang Fei.

The crowd looked at each other, not daring to utter a sound.

This was considered Liu Bei's "family matter," and none of the officials dared to say anything more.

"Gentlemen, please be seated."

Liu Bei's expression softened slightly, and he gestured for everyone to sit down.

Everyone expressed their gratitude and took their seats in order.

“I have read through all the documents that you gentlemen have submitted.”

"Some people advised me against implementing this policy, while others advised me to implement it."

"Those who oppose it often cite the state of Wei as an example."

"The Wei regime is tyrannical, and Cao Cao has issued an order—"

“Widows must be married to soldiers; those who refuse will be confiscated and made into government slaves.”

"This led to the tragedy of 'taking away a wife's life,' and the sound of weeping could be heard on the roads."

Cao Cao had already implemented this policy long before Li Yi did.

For someone like Cao Cao, it's like having too many lice and not being bothered by the itch.

Since it's already a ruin, what does it matter if it's even more dilapidated?
Therefore, Cao Cao had no psychological burden and forced the widow to remarry.

This resulted in many respectable women, whose husbands were still alive, being forced into marriage with other men.

Because lower-level officials need to create achievements for their positions.

For example, such a tragedy is mentioned in the Wei Lue quoted by Pei Songzhi.

The original text reads, “In the early days of the capital, widows were listed in the register. At that time, some widows in other prefectures had already married, but according to the register, they were all deprived of their rights, and people wept in the streets.”

“The capital region only takes from those who are few, so the amount of tribute is small; but when Zhao Yan took over the capital region, the amount of tribute was large.”

Emperor Wen asked Ji, "Why were the gifts sent by the previous emperor so few, and why are there so many now?" Ji replied, "The gifts I sent before were all wives of the deceased, but now I am sending wives of living people."

The emperor and his attendants looked around and paled.

The gist of the story is that when Du Ji was serving in Hedong County, he was ordered to register the names of widows within his jurisdiction.

Because the imperial court would gather women together directly to arrange for their remarriage.

In order to meet quotas, some widows who had already remarried were forcibly registered and taken back by other counties, which caused women to cry and wail incessantly along the way.

Du Ji was the only one who registered only genuine widows, so the reported list was very small.

Later, Zhao Yan replaced Du Ji, but the list he submitted was several times larger.

Cao Pi then questioned Du Ji, saying, "Why did you report so little back then, but Zhao Yan is reporting so much now?"

Du Ji replied:
"I only registered the widows of deceased soldiers, but Zhao Yan is sending me the wives of living men!"

Upon hearing this, all the civil and military officials, including Cao Pi, changed their expressions drastically.

This was the tyrannical rule that Cao Cao implemented in order to promote population growth.

His actions were coercive, resulting in many men having their wives taken away and remarried.

Therefore, we often jokingly say that Cao Wei loved other men's wives, which is a double entendre.

Cao Cao can be considered the epitome of NTR in ancient times.

In this version of the story, Cao Cao still has no psychological burden. In order to fight against the powerful Qi state, he also forces widows to remarry.

This caused widespread public resentment and drew universal condemnation.

Cao Cao was shameless; he only cared about population growth.

But Liu Bei valued his reputation, so he was extremely cautious about this matter.

"What do you think, sir?"

Liu Bei calmly asked the crowd.

(End of this chapter)