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

Chapter 315 Liu Bei: Hebei is so rich! How many surprises has Prime Minister Li been hiding from me these past few years?

Meanwhile, Zhuge Liang presented a memorial to Liu Bei in Jingzhou, formally proposing his plan of "four army groups".

They believed that the war in the Central Plains should be put on the agenda.

Liu Bei received the letter, and after reading it, he turned to his attendants and said:

Has Cao Cao already acquired the land of Western Sichuan?

The ministers exchanged glances, and one of them, who knew the situation, spoke up.

According to reports from spies in Sichuan, this is indeed true.

"Among all the officials, Jingzhou, where Kongming is located, is the closest to Xichuan."

"They must know some of the inside story."

Liu Bei tapped the table lightly with his fingers and said:
"Now that they have proposed this strategy, what do you all think?"

Let's discuss it!

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Gong stepped forward first, his Yanzhou accent ringing out clearly:

"Your Majesty, this is a golden opportunity!"

His hand, holding a ceremonial tablet, trembled with excitement as he sighed:

"Currently, Cao Cao's main force is trapped in Xichuan, and Xu County is empty."

"If we follow Kongming's strategy, we can gather troops from four directions and attack Henan."

"The Central Plains can be taken in one fell swoop!"

"If that is so, I am willing to serve as Your Majesty's vanguard and take Chenliu directly!"

Chen Gong has never given up on his plan to return directly to Yanzhou. Now, under Liu Bei's command, he has been biding his time and waiting for an opportunity.

Now that he finally had the chance to return to Yanzhou, he was more excited than anyone else.

"What Gongtai said is incorrect."

As Chen Gong agreed, one of the crowd immediately voiced his opposition.

Upon closer inspection, everyone recognized him as Grand Tutor Lu Su.

His brows were furrowed, and he spoke in a deep voice, holding his tablet:
"The army of 200,000 consumes 4,000 bushels of grain per day, not to mention a million arrows and a thousand catties of medicine for wounds."

"Now that the south of the Yangtze River has just been pacified, the granaries in the north of Jingzhou are not in urgent need of supplies."

"Ji Province needs to fill the gaps in Bing and You Provinces, as well as Liaodong. How can we start a major battle right away?"

"This matter should be considered carefully."

In Lu Su's view, Zhuge Liang's strategic plan to mobilize 200,000 troops was too ambitious.

We need at least another year or two to prepare; we shouldn't rush things.

Although the State of Qi appears powerful now, it is only because a large-scale war has not yet broken out.

Once war breaks out, all prosperity will be shattered.

With a large number of young and middle-aged people leaving their jobs and prices soaring, caution is necessary.

Chen Gong argued his case logically:

"Your Majesty is wise! Now, observing the situation in all directions—"

"The Five Streams Barbarians in Jingnan have been pacified, and the granaries in Jingbei are full of food, so there is no need to bear too much pressure."

"Kongming's statement about '50,000 elite troops' was not an exaggeration or deception!"

"Since Li Xiang opened the market of Yuyang in Hebei, the number of warhorses in Youzhou has increased by tens of thousands every year, and the number of cattle and sheep has reached hundreds of thousands."

"The ironworks in Jicheng resound day and night with hammers, and the granaries in Yecheng overflow with grain."

"Even without grain supplies from Ji Province, Youyan can still support itself."

"As for Huainan, Chen Yuanlong has been cultivating land for several years, and there is plenty of food and fodder."

"Last month, I personally witnessed that the Huai River was so full of grain that the cargo ships were lined up end to end, causing the river to become blocked!"

"It is clear that what Grand Tutor Lu said was not entirely true."

In Chen Gong's view, the situation in Jingnan had stabilized, and Zhuge Liang's report also mentioned that Jingzhou was able to muster 50,000 troops.

Zhuge Liang himself has given his assurance, so why should we worry about Jingzhou?
As for Hebei, it is a prosperous land.

Since Li Yi established the special economic zone in Yuyang, Youzhou has been largely self-sufficient, greatly reducing the pressure on Jizhou.

As for Huainan and my Xuzhou, needless to say, both are places with well-trained troops and abundant supplies, so there is absolutely no problem.

Now that Cao Cao's foothold in Xichuan is not yet secure, this is a great opportunity to take over the Central Plains.

If you give up, it will be difficult to make progress again later.

"...Both of you have a point."

Liu Bei waved his hand, stopping the two from arguing.

Having sat on the throne for several years, Liu Bei's skill in managing people has now reached a level of ease and composure.

"In my opinion, we should first follow Kongming's advice and put this proposal on the agenda."

"However, the specific timing of the campaign must be determined by the local governors and prefects."

"What do you all think?"

Liu Bei's intention was to have local officials begin preparing for the specific details of the Central Plains War.

However, Liu Bei left the preparation time to them to decide for themselves.

This was to prevent the sudden issuance of a general mobilization order from disrupting the original production plans in various regions.

Liu Bei's decision was quite humane.

He not only considers the needs of his employees, but also the needs of the people.

He hoped to minimize the harm to civilians after launching the war.

In the past, this would have been something we wouldn't have dared to even consider.

They almost always start by considering strategic interests.

Now that his family business had grown, Liu Bei felt it was time to give back to the people.

Just as they were discussing this, a servant came to report.

"Your Majesty, a large number of people are kneeling outside the city gates, crying out for justice."

"Cry out for justice?"

Liu Bei frowned. It was quite rare for the people to organize and cry out for justice under his rule.

What injustice have they suffered?

"This... I heard that their relatives were imprisoned by Prime Minister Li."

"So they have come specifically to request Your Majesty to release their relatives?"

Is there such a thing?

Liu Bei immediately asked his men if they knew what was going on in Hebei.

If someone was familiar with Hebei, they would immediately explain.

Because Li Xiang banned the Five Pecks of Rice sect, some members objected, so Li Xiang arrested the ringleaders of the disturbance.

Were there any casualties?

"The arrest operation went quite smoothly and there were no major casualties."

"……Um."

Liu Bei nodded and immediately ordered Jian Yong to personally appease the kneeling crowd outside the city and tell them that he would step in to resolve the matter.

Making the people kneel indefinitely is also unfriendly to the government's public image, so it is definitely necessary to persuade them to leave.

Then, Liu Bei wrote another letter in his own hand, instructing Li Yi to handle the matter properly.

Avoid large-scale personnel conflicts, especially those that disrupt normal production activities.

This would affect public opinion in Qi and the government's credibility, so Li Yi must do his best to minimize the impact of this matter.

Incidentally, he also sent over the strategic plan proposed by Zhuge Liang.

……

Hebei, Jizhou.

On the streets of Ye City, thousands of followers of the Rice Cult lined up at the palace gate, their foreheads adorned with yellow talismans.

The calls were like a tidal wave, demanding that the Hebei government release the Mi Cult members they had previously arrested.

These religious followers are highly organized, and they do not interfere with the normal lives of ordinary people.

They also did not engage in armed conflict with government officials, and if they were beaten or verbally abused, they would let them do so.

They just kept shouting for the release of the people.

Li Yi ascended the palace gate to look around, and saw that the ground was covered with people dressed in white like lotus flowers.

He glanced at the bamboo scroll in his hand, which contained Liu Bei's repeated instructions not to make a big fuss about the matter.

Just then, Wei Yan stepped forward from behind, his hand on his sword, and volunteered:

"These people are using the guise of a sit-in to actually stage a coup!"

"I humbly request Your Excellency's permission. This humble general only needs to bring three hundred swordsmen, and can..."

"Wen Chang is mistaken!"

Before he could finish speaking, Li Yi interrupted him.

Pointing to the followers below the city walls, he said:
“Observing that they gathered in a crowd, their formation was orderly, and their advance and retreat were in unison, there must be a wise man plotting against them.”

“If we force them to surrender with weapons, it will only make the people feel more sorry for their plight.”

“Then the foundation of the rice trade will be strengthened, which will not benefit me.”

Li Yi had a clear understanding of the true nature of this disturbance.

Their organizational skills are so good that they must have been guided by a mastermind.

Forcibly arresting them would only garner more sympathy from the surrounding people, making the Mi religion even more popular at the grassroots level.

This kind of awareness and organizational ability is actually very troublesome.

The mastermind behind this clearly understands the mindset of the Hebei leadership.

He wanted to force the Prime Minister's residence to make a choice: compromise or use force to suppress them.

Regardless of the reason, Li Yi's prestige from his years of governing Hebei could not shake his rule.

But like a toad, it doesn't bite, but it's still annoying.

"So what should we do?" Wei Yan asked, his hand on his sword.

Li Yi flicked his sleeve and said calmly:
"Release them as they request, and release all the prisoners!"

"what?"

Upon hearing this order, Wei Yan was dumbfounded.

He has a violent temper and is always stubborn to the end.

Releasing them now is tantamount to admitting defeat, isn't it?

"Prime Minister, this—"

Wei Yan was about to offer further advice when Li Yi stopped him with a gesture.

"Go and do it."

"Ugh!"

Wei Yan stamped his foot, then reluctantly bowed, saying, "This humble general obeys."

Soon, all 43 rioters who had been arrested were released.

The rioters were also surprised to see the person released.

Unexpectedly, the Prime Minister's residence actually released them.

They discussed what to do next in private.
The chief priest, who was in charge, immediately gave the following instructions:

“Our demands have been met; there is no need to continue making trouble.”

"Otherwise, we would be in the wrong."

"You may retreat and await further instructions."

The crowd followed his advice and dispersed.

However, the Mi religion still promoted this direct confrontation with the government as a "victory".

From the perspective of the Mi religion, this greatly enhanced its prestige, since it won over the Hebei government.

From the perspective of those behind the scenes, what he wanted was to damage the credibility of the Hebei government.

Just as everyone was basking in the glory of their victory...

An emergency meeting was held overnight inside the Prime Minister's residence.

Li Yi summoned all the senior executives and gave a speech.

"The followers of the Mi religion are well-disciplined and far more organized than ordinary rabble; there must be a wise man behind them strategizing."

"Today I have ordered the release of prisoners, firstly to temporarily stabilize public sentiment, and secondly to test their strength."

"If they take advantage of this and continue to make noise, then it is nothing more than the scheme of a mediocre person."

"However, his ability to know when to stop and his measured approach to advancement and retreat demonstrate that his ambitions are not small!"

Everyone listened attentively, taking the matter very seriously.

This is because it is clear that someone wants to challenge the Hebei government.

Li Yi suddenly stood up, his sleeves billowing like clouds, and said sternly:
"Bring me the map of Hebei!"

The attendant hurriedly presented the map, and Li Yi, holding a brush, marked the gathering points of the Rice Sect in Yecheng, Handan, Changshan and other counties.

Wherever his pen touched, he pointed to the essential points of the teachings, clearly indicating that he had explored them beforehand.

"Send the order!"

Li Yi threw down his pen on the table, the sound like the cold iron:
"All armies in Hebei shall be mobilized immediately. All those who gather in the Muslim community shall be arrested without question!"

"We must act with lightning speed, ensuring that not a single person escapes!"

Those on either side responded sternly, while Yi Fu gazed coldly into the distance and shouted:

"I don't care who's behind this, but his scheme is far too shallow."

"It might work against anyone, but it won't work in Hebei!"

That night, the generals in Hebei received a secret order.

Xu Huang led a hundred cavalrymen, their horses' hooves wrapped in cloth, and quietly slipped out of the west gate.

Upon arriving at Changshan County, they found the lights still burning inside the church, with silhouettes of seven people discussing matters projected through the windows.

Xu Huang sneered, and with a wave of his hand, armored soldiers burst through the door. Before anyone inside could cry out in alarm, they had already covered the mouths of the soldiers with medicated linen and captured them.

The teacup on the table was still warm, steaming.

He was taken away in one shot.

Zhang He was even more cunning. He had his elite soldiers disguise themselves as grain merchants and infiltrate the secret headquarters of the Rice Cult in the northern suburbs of Handan.

As soon as the door hinge turned, Zhang He tumbled down from the eaves, his ring-pommel sword already pressed against the helmsman's throat.

The remaining men tried to flee, but saw that the "caravan" in the courtyard were all drawing their crossbows in response.

No arrows were fired throughout the entire process; only a few barks of dogs could be heard.

Taking advantage of the pitch-black night, Gao Lan led his men to surround the Guangping Incense Altar.

As the congregation was chanting scriptures, they suddenly felt a bone-chilling cold—it turned out that a hundred powerful crossbows were pointing through the window.

An old priest attempted to commit suicide by swallowing a talisman, but an arrow, swift as lightning, shot the talisman into the candle flame, turning it to ash in an instant.

At dawn, when the rooster crowed, the three generals had already escorted thirty-six prison carts to the imperial prison in Ye City.

The terrifying execution capabilities of the Hebei military officers shocked the top brass of the Mi Cult.

Because they are so fast and so well-organized.

Before the leaders of the Rice Cult could even react, the leaders of their branch cults were arrested overnight.

In ancient times, information was scarce, and communication was inherently inconvenient.

Once the local leaders are arrested, their organizational capacity collapses instantly.

For a time, the high-ranking members of the Mi Cult split into two factions.

They were filled with fear and hoped to escape Hebei as soon as possible to avoid being arrested and imprisoned as well.

One faction argued that they should not panic and should wait for the latest instructions from the Luoyang headquarters before making a decision.

While the Mi Sect was still arguing about whether to flee or wage war, the Prime Minister's Mansion delivered its second heavy blow.

That night, around midnight.

Countless "white-robed followers" broke down doors and stormed into the homes of local powerful families.

They specialize in robbing gold and silver and destroying ancestral temples.

For a time, the news of the Rice Cult plundering aristocratic families spread like wildfire.

In Hebei, all the powerful and influential families lived in fear.

The clan leaders all approached Li Yi, expressing their willingness to cooperate with the government in arresting members of the Rice Cult.

But it's not over.

On this day, the banks of the Zhang River in Ye City were crowded with people watching the spectacle.

The spring flood season has just begun, and the river is flowing rapidly.

Then they saw twelve people in white standing on the stone bridge, with yellow talismans pasted on their foreheads and holding the doctrines of the Rice Sect, reciting them in unison.

People flocked to watch, drawn by the excitement.

Suddenly, the leader of the white-clad men tore open his shirt, raised his arms, and shouted:
"The government is persecuting our sacred faith; we will prove our innocence with our lives!"

After saying this, he jumped into the turbulent river.

The rest of the crowd jumped into the river one after another, splashing water ten feet high.

The people were greatly alarmed; seeing this scene, they were all horrified.

This matter alarmed the Hebei government, and Xu Shu personally took charge of it. He arrived at the scene and solemnly stated:

"We will do our best to rescue the person who fell into the water, please rest assured, fellow villagers."

"Please also understand that our bodies and hair are given to us by our parents, so we must cherish them."

"You must not rashly take this suicidal act."

The people nodded in agreement, indicating that Mr. Xu Shu was right.

Subsequently, Xu Shu organized fishermen to begin retrieving people from the Zhang River.

The salvage operation lasted a full day and night.

The people saw this and exclaimed how good the Hebei government was.

In case of an accident, we will rush to the scene to provide rescue as soon as possible.

Even knowing that the person who fell into the water was likely in grave danger, they still did their best to rescue them.

Isn't this a good government that speaks up for the people?

In contrast, those believers who jumped into the river and committed suicide were utterly ungrateful and ungrateful.

Are they all possessed?

Why would someone be so foolish as to resort to such a method to force the government to compromise?
Just as the fishermen and boatmen were fishing on the river, a dense forest appeared outside the river.

A group of soaking wet men climbed ashore, having discarded their original white clothes in the water.

At this moment, Xu Shu also arrived with his men.

Upon seeing Xu Shu, everyone bowed and paid their respects.
"I have met Mr. Xu."

"...Yes, I am relieved that you are all safe and sound."

Seeing that everyone was alright, Xu Shu nodded with relief.

These twelve people are all excellent swimmers and skilled surfers.

Following orders from the Prime Minister's office, he disguised himself as a fanatical follower of the Rice Sect and committed suicide by drowning in the river in broad daylight.

Its purpose was to incite public resentment towards the Rice Sect.

"The Prime Minister means that you should go to Bohai to avoid trouble for the next few days."

"Without orders from the Prime Minister's residence, you are not allowed to return."

Xu Shu stroked his beard and said, "Of course, the Prime Minister's residence will cover the travel expenses."

Everyone cupped their hands in unison and said:

"I will obey Your Majesty's orders!"

After seeing everyone off, Xu Shu asked his men:

"Have you prepared the corpses I instructed you to prepare?"

The attendant replied:

"The Court of Justice has prepared twelve corpses, all of whom are prisoners who have just been executed."

"good."

Xu Shu pointed to the Zhang River, saying, "We can first soak it in the water until it swells up, making it unrecognizable, and then announce it to the public—"

"None of those who jumped into the river survived."

"Here."

The group followed orders and soon staged a scene where the body was retrieved from the water.

Three days later, news of the floating corpse in the Zhang River had spread throughout Hebei.

"A crime!"

Wang Po, the old woman who sells steamed buns, pointed to the row of corpses covered with straw mats on the riverbank.

"A perfectly healthy person, just died like that!"

"Foolish, utterly foolish!"

Passersby echoed Wang Po's sentiments.

"What Five Pecks of Rice Sect? I think it's more like a demon cult!"

"Look at this! Several perfectly healthy men, just like that, suddenly dead. Sigh!"

Public opinion gradually fermented, and the once glorious Rice Sect suddenly became a target of universal condemnation in Hebei.

People called it the "Ghost Cult" and accused it of causing great harm to people.

Overnight, the Mi sect's popular support in Hebei vanished.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Li Yi officially issued an order defining the Rice Sect as a traitor like Zhang Jiao.

He ordered a nationwide manhunt for his followers.

Because they received unanimous support from both powerful families and ordinary people, a large number of the core members of the Rice Cult were captured.

Even Zhang Wei didn't have time to escape back to Luoyang before he was formally arrested and imprisoned.

When the news reached the Luoyang headquarters, Zhang Lu was horrified upon hearing it:
"This, this, this... wasn't it said that there were a million believers in Hebei?"

"How could it all be gone overnight?!"

Zhang Lu couldn't believe it; he had originally had great faith in the million believers in Hebei.

They believe that even if the Hebei government does not compromise, it will not dare to do anything to the Zhang brothers.

After all, the grassroots support is there.

Unexpectedly, Li Yi really had the ability to turn him into someone everyone hated overnight.

It can even unite long-time rivals, powerful clans, and ordinary people to oppose the spread of the religion.

What kind of magic does this person possess?

It was able to unleash such enormous energy.

"The world is full of heartless people..."

Zhang Lu slumped to the ground, even beginning to question his own beliefs.

After all, he was devoted to his followers, but when it really came down to it...

The followers left without a second thought, offering him no support whatsoever.

How could he not feel disheartened?

"Master, what should we do now?"

With its Hebei branch wiped out, the Five Pecks of Rice sect is now severely weakened.

Zhang Lu frowned and sighed:
"Let's first call back the believers from all over the country and discuss this further."

"Then we'll try to save my junior brother."

He paused slightly, then added, "Li Ziyu did not immediately execute his junior brother, which shows that he is indeed an extremely intelligent person."

"Perhaps we really should change our thinking and try to cooperate with them."

Zhang Lu stood up, looked north, and sighed deeply.

……

Ye City, the Prime Minister's Residence.

The officers were raising their glasses to celebrate the successful completion of their mission to arrest members of the cult.

Li Yi attended in person and addressed the crowd:
"You all handled this arrest operation very well."

"Let me offer you all a toast."

Everyone raised their glasses in return.

After several rounds of drinks, Li Yi suddenly spoke again:
"I have thoroughly investigated who is behind the Mi Cult."

"It was the Wei people who were sabotaging us behind the scenes."

The officers, drunk and disregarding etiquette, slammed their fists on the table and roared in anger upon hearing this:

"The Wei people are simply going too far."

"Please, Your Excellency, request the King of Qi to order the dispatch of troops to annihilate the Wei traitors!"

"...No need."

Li Yi took out a scroll of bamboo slips from his bosom, held it up in his hand, and showed it to everyone.

"The King of Qi's silk scroll is here, ordering me to begin preparations in Hebei for the conquest of the State of Wei."

Upon hearing this, the eyes of the officers immediately lit up.

"Hey! Great! That's fantastic!"

Everyone was eager to fight.

They stayed in Hebei for several years but had little opportunity to participate in important battles.

The great achievement of pacifying Jiangnan was previously claimed by Zhuge Liang.

Of course, even if it weren't given to Zhuge Liang, it wouldn't be the people of Hebei.

Because they are too far apart.

In the current Central Plains War, Hebei is an important war zone.

Almost every officer had the opportunity to go to the battlefield and make a name for themselves.

"King Qi asked me to prepare for war, but in fact, I have been keeping a low profile in Hebei for the past few years, accumulating money and grain."

"When the Xianbei and Xiongnu tribes rebelled before, you all advised me to send troops to quell them."

“I ordered the Xianbei and Xiongnu to resolve the matter themselves, firstly in order to ease tensions between the two regions.”

"Secondly, it is also to save money and food, specifically for today."

After saying that, Li Yi waved to Zhen Yao.

"Yaoqing, please read out my savings from Hebei over the past few years, and let all the officers hear it as well."

"Here."

Zhen Yao responded and stepped forward, holding the account book in his hands.

The generals below could only watch as the pages of the book were turned, and the paper fell with a soft, rustling sound.

"We now have 100,000 yi of gold and 1.5 million hu of millet."

"Fifty thousand warhorses and ten thousand sets of armor and fighting gear."

Zhen Yao's voice suddenly rose:

"In addition, Li Lian has 5,000 crossbows and 200 trebuchets."

"Changshan, Yecheng, and Hejian can mobilize approximately 80,000 troops."

This was all the savings Li Yi had accumulated after taking office and governing Hebei.

Of all these, what Li Yi is most proud of is his gold reserves.

Because Li Yi was originally a merchant, he had an obsessive love for gold.

Throughout history and across the world, it has always been an absolute hard currency.

Therefore, Li Yi strictly controlled the outflow of gold, and even ordered all aristocratic families to reduce the amount of gold buried with them.

Other items need to be used as substitutes.

Thanks to Li Yi's efforts, the gold reserves in Hebei Province have reached 100,000 yi.

It should be noted that the entire unified Han Dynasty had a gold reserve of only 600,000 yi.

This means that Li Yi collected one-sixth of the country's gold in just a few years.

These figures were originally not to be disclosed to the public except by the core personnel of the Prime Minister's residence.

Now that Liu Bei has officially announced his intention to conquer Henan, Li Yi has made this information public in order to boost the morale of the soldiers in Hebei.

Even though they were mentally prepared, the soldiers couldn't help but swallow hard.

I'm amazed that the art of governing a country is far superior to that of waging war.

They practiced military drills regularly, and they couldn't fathom how Li Yi managed to raise so much money and supplies in just a few years.

Is this the power of special economic zones?
The release of this figure is a slap in the face to those who previously opposed the establishment of special economic zones.

After all, the special economic zones have enacted special laws to protect the rights of nomadic peoples.

For the first time, nomadic peoples were able to enjoy equal rights with the Han people within the territory of the Han Dynasty.

This has never happened before.

But now that they have witnessed the rapid economic development, those who previously opposed it have silently shut their mouths.

"The land of Hebei can support an army of 200,000 for two or three months."

"Aren't Huainan, Xuzhou, and Jingzhou all prosperous places?"

Li Yi formally clarified his point of view.

"The reason why the King of Qi ordered that local officials should make preparations on their own"

"They are afraid that we will not be able to gather enough soldiers and supplies in a short period of time."

"Now you all see that Hebei has sufficient funds and provisions."

"My idea is to start planning now, so that we can officially begin the campaign against Henan by the end of the year."

Two hundred thousand troops is no small number; it's practically a nationwide mobilization.

Even if the order is given, it will take a long time to prepare.

In particular, transportation was not well-developed in ancient times.

All the generals rose and bowed in unison:
"We swear to serve the Great Qi and annihilate the traitor Wei!"

"……good."

Seeing that everyone was in high spirits, Li Yi ordered someone to bring a piece of paper.

Have everyone sign a petition.

This was to show Hebei's support for the war in the Central Plains.

All the generals signed their names, including Li Yi.

Then he wrote a separate reply to Liu Bei, which read in brief:
"Yi bows his head again to pay respects to His Majesty the King of Qi—"

"The granaries in Hebei are full, with a million bushels of grain stored up, enough to support a large army in its campaigns."

"There are also 80,000 elite troops, all fully armored and armed, training day and night, awaiting the king's command."

"The king was deeply concerned about the people's suffering and poverty, and Yi was deeply moved by his benevolence."

"However, this force of 80,000 is the maximum that Hebei can muster without fundamentally harming its strength."

"Although the people suffer, they can still grit their teeth and endure it."

"The weight of the nation's fate is such that we should not hesitate to shed blood and sweat."

"Now Cao Cao has just annexed Western Sichuan, and his foothold is not yet secure. The Central Plains are exhausted, and the people yearn for the Han dynasty."

"If we miss this opportunity, it will be too late for regrets!"

"I, Yi, am willing to lead the men of Hebei to be the vanguard for the king. Even if it means sacrificing my life, I vow to restore the Han dynasty!"

"Great undertakings are arduous, and this is the time to shed blood and sweat."

"If Your Majesty decides, I will immediately lead the army south to jointly punish the traitors!"

"Yi bows and kowtows."

April of the fourteenth year of Jian'an.

……

Li Yi specifically comforted Liu Bei, saying that the loss of 80,000 people was a price that Hebei could bear, as the king was worried about.

As long as the number doesn't exceed this figure, people in Hebei can grit their teeth and persevere.

Besides, what time is it now?
Now is the time for us to bleed and sweat!

Upon reading the book, Liu Bei couldn't help but sigh:
"Even I am ashamed that Prime Minister Li has governed Hebei so poorly!"

Clearly, including Liu Bei, they underestimated the productivity of Hebei.

Liu Bei himself did not expect that he would delegate power to Li Yi and let him govern Hebei according to his own ideas.

Unexpectedly, Hebei has shown such strong vitality, going all out.

It ranked first in the national GDP.

The Engel coefficient also decreases year by year.

If this trend continues, Hebei's GDP is expected to reach a new high this year.

"In the past, I longed for a man like Guan Zhong or Xiao He to govern the country for me."

"Looking at it now, Prime Minister Li is far superior to Guan Zhong and Xiao He."

Li Yi governed Hebei by promulgating different policies and laws according to local conditions.

Many of his policies to boost the economy incorporated modern economic ideas while also taking into account the social context of the Han Dynasty.

Special cases require special analysis.

Stimulating consumption to drive economic growth.

This is actually a very important point.

As mentioned before, ancient economic theories generally held that goods were finite, and once they were consumed, they were truly gone.

Modern economics has long proven that productivity can be liberated.

Continuously stimulating consumption, coupled with the government's visible intervention, can continuously drive economic growth.

Li Yi's establishment of the Yuyang Special Economic Zone was also an indirect experiment.

Let's examine how consumption was stimulated in ancient times.

However, after the experiment was successful, Hebei Province issued policies tailored to local conditions.

This led to a widening gap between the rich and poor in the north and south of Qi, and made the people more and more confident.

……

(End of this chapter)