My father-in-law Guan Yu, I persuaded Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang at the beginn

Liu Bei then left Huo Jun with 10,000 elite troops to guard Chenliu, while he led the main force back to Xuchang.

At the same time, a large number of cavalry were dispatched, heading straight for the counties along the Ji River.

Hundreds of warships also sailed north from the Si River and turned into the Ji River, heading towards the southern prefectures of Yanzhou.

Everything happened as Xiao He expected.

A few days later, the news reached Xuchang, Dongjun, Shanyin, Jibei and other counties, and the south bank of the Ji River had been breached by the Wei army.

In an instant, large areas of counties south of Yanzhou were submerged and turned into a muddy swamp.

Countless fertile fields and houses were ruthlessly destroyed by Cao Cao.

Because the incident happened so suddenly, Cao Cao did not have time to relocate the people of the various counties, nor did he give any prior warning.

As a result, hundreds of thousands of people along the river were submerged by the flood without any warning.

Fortunately, Liu Bei sent rescue ships, which arrived in time.

Although tens of thousands of people tragically perished in the flood, the vast majority were rescued in time by the Chu army and escaped disaster.

The people of Yanzhou were greatly shocked.

Those who survived the flooding of the pseudo-Wei people were deeply chilled by Cao Cao's ruthlessness.

The people rescued by the Chu army were naturally extremely grateful for Liu Bei's benevolent act, but they hated Cao Cao to the extreme.

Cao Cao's series of actions, while temporarily delaying the Chu army's northward advance into Yanzhou and gaining a respite, completely alienated the people of Yanzhou.

Liu Bei then adopted Xiao He's strategy and returned south to Xuchang. On one hand, he rested and reorganized his soldiers, on the other hand, he appeased the people and properly resettled the rescued disaster victims.

In preparation for a future northern expedition, Liu Bei, at the suggestion of Xiao He and Pang Tong, officially issued an edict to move the capital of Chu to Xuchang.

Thus, the emperor remained in Yingtian, while Liu Bei's Chu palace was moved north to Xuchang.

Given that Xuchang was adjacent to Jingzhou, Liu Bei, the King of Chu, could directly command the troops of Jingzhou Prefecture nearby. Therefore, Guan Yu, the Grand General, was reassigned to Xiapi and appointed as the military governor of Qing and Xu provinces.

Zhang Fei, as the General of the Cavalry, was sent back to Shouchun to oversee military affairs in Huainan.

In Jiangdong, Zhuge Liang remained in Yingtian as the Chancellor of Chu and the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat of Han, handling state affairs on behalf of Liu Bei and overseeing the military affairs of the various counties in Jiangdong.

The rest, such as Xu Shu, Fa Zheng, Lu Su, and Lu Xun, either remained in Xudu to serve or were appointed as governors of various prefectures.

Generals such as Gan Ning, Wei Yan, and Wen Ping were also stationed to guard key locations.

Three days after the Chu capital was moved to Xuchang, Liu Bei issued an edict to fully implement the equal-field system, the militia system, and the imperial examination system in the newly recovered Yuzhou and the southern counties of Yanzhou.

Yuzhou is located in the Central Plains and was originally a prosperous state for aristocratic families and powerful clans.

For example, the Yuan family, which produced four generations of high-ranking officials, came from Runan County.

Yingchuan is home to numerous top-tier aristocratic families, such as the Zhong, Xun, Du, and Gao clans, and many more.

In a place with many powerful clans, implementing the three systems, especially the equal-field system, would inevitably encounter a lot of resistance.

The situation is different now.

Cao Cao's Nine-Rank System and private army system prompted the powerful clans of Yingchuan to step forward, contributing money and manpower, and even going bankrupt to fight for Cao Wei.

As a result of several battles, most of the Wei officials from Yingchuan, including Chen Qun, Du Xi, and Dong Zhao, were killed, and almost all of the private Wei soldiers from Yingchuan were wiped out.

As a result, the powerful clans of Yingchuan and even Yuzhou suffered heavy losses and were severely weakened.

In this situation, Liu Bei implemented the equal-field system with overwhelming force, leaving these powerful clans with almost no ability to resist and only able to obediently acquiesce.

Not only did they dare not object, but they also had to obediently return the previously annexed unclaimed land to the government so that it could be given to registered self-cultivating farmers.

Within just three months, Yuzhou successfully implemented the equal-field system.

At the same time, the able-bodied people who had been allocated land all eagerly answered the call to enter the Eagle Banner Prefecture and become soldiers of the Great Chu.

In a short period of time, all the Wei soldiers captured in the Battle of Yuzhou were easily absorbed and integrated into the Chu army through the Fubing system, and were seamlessly transformed into the Chu Fubing.

The equal-field system and the militia system were both successfully implemented, and the next step was the imperial examination system.

The resistance to this system is negligible.

Whether they were from humble backgrounds or wealthy families, everyone eagerly awaited their arrival.

There was no way around it; the annexation of Yuzhou to the State of Chu was a foregone conclusion, and the powerful clans had no choice but to accept this fact, no matter how unwilling they were.

Having suffered heavy losses in the Chu-Wei war, their primary concern was how to survive in the State of Chu.

The implementation of the equal-field system stifled their path of land annexation and focusing solely on making money. Their only way out was to become an official, serve the Great Chu, and secure a future for themselves and their families.

Fortunately, the King of Chu was magnanimous and forgave past grievances. He issued a decree that regardless of who you had served or whether you came from a humble or aristocratic family, you could participate in the imperial examinations and compete for a position as an official based on your true talent and learning.

This is tantamount to Liu Bei publicly stating his position:
Let bygones be bygones. Now you are my subjects, Liu Bei, and I will treat you all equally, giving you the opportunity to serve me.

However, you must earn this opportunity yourselves and take the imperial examinations yourselves.

You have real talent and ability; I'll only use you if you can outmaneuver me.

As soon as this imperial edict was issued, the powerful and wealthy families of Yingchuan, Yuzhou, and Yanzhou were all eager to try their luck and compete for an opportunity to serve the Great Chu through the imperial examination.

Xiao He then advised Liu Bei to take advantage of this momentum and issue an edict to the world to hold the first imperial examination of the Great Chu this autumn, officially opening the examination to select officials.

In fact, even before the Battle of Yuzhou, Xiao He had already proposed the imperial examination system, and Liu Bei had already proclaimed it to the world. However, Cao Cao launched a major southward campaign, and Liu Bei had to focus his efforts on the northern expedition. Although the imperial examination system had been promulgated, it never had the opportunity to be implemented.

Now that Yuzhou has been recovered and the puppet Wei state has been crippled, Cao Cao can only hide behind the Ji River and Hongze Lake to lick his wounds, and no longer has the ability or courage to launch an offensive southward.

Under these circumstances, holding imperial examinations to select officials is the most opportune time.

Liu Bei readily accepted Xiao He's suggestion and immediately announced that he would hold civil service examinations in the various states of Chu.

When the imperial edict was issued, the various prefectures were in an uproar.

Talented individuals from humble backgrounds and virtuous scholars from various states were eager to try their hand at their studies and gain a chance to advance their careers.

Thus, in late spring, the first provincial examination of the Great Chu Dynasty was officially held in various prefectures.

Qingzhou, Xuzhou, Jingzhou, Yuzhou, Yangzhou, Jiaozhou…

Talented scholars from all directions flocked to the capital of the six states controlled by the Great Chu to actively participate in the first imperial examination.

Those who pass the provincial examinations in each prefecture can obtain the title of "Juren" (a degree in the imperial examinations).

After the autumn harvest, those who had passed the provincial examinations from all over the country arrived in Xuchang, the capital of Chu, to participate in the metropolitan examination and compete for the limited number of candidates for the imperial examination.

After the provincial examination, the best among them could enter the royal palace to participate in the palace examination, personally presided over by Liu Bei, the King of Chu, to compete for the title of Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations).

On this day, inside the Myeongde Hall of the Royal Palace.

Liu Bei summoned Xiao He, Pang Tong, and other important officials in the capital to jointly review the examination papers of the candidates.

The world is not yet unified. In this peaceful time, it is precisely the time when Wei and Chu are vying for supremacy. War is undoubtedly the most important thing.

Therefore, at Xiao He's suggestion, Liu Bei set the topic of this palace examination as writing a strategy essay on attacking Wei.

Liu Bei and his ministers read through the documents one by one, and there were quite a few strategies.

Some advocated sending a navy back into the Ji River to seal off the breaches and dry up the marshes in the southern counties of Yanzhou, after which the main army would march north to recapture Yanzhou.

Some advocated focusing the attack on Qingzhou, with the army advancing along the Yellow River by both land and water to capture Yanzhou from the east.

Most of the policy proposals, while logical and well-founded, lacked any truly innovative or eye-opening aspects.

"Bowen, Shiyuan, this policy essay is quite different from the others. You should take a look."

Liu Bei's eyes suddenly lit up, and he pointed to an exam paper and said.

Xiao He, Pang Tong, and the others all gathered around to watch.

This strategy advocates focusing the Northern Expedition on Luoyang, rather than Yanzhou.

Firstly, Luoyang was the former capital of the Han Dynasty, and its political significance far surpassed that of Xuchang.

Secondly, the false emperor is in Luoyang. If Luoyang can be captured and the false emperor killed, the legitimacy of Cao Wei can be completely destroyed.

Thirdly, since the pseudo-Wei regime used the Ji River as a barrier, its defenses would naturally focus on key towns on the north bank of the Ji River, such as Xingyang, Dingtao, and Juye, while the defenses of Luoyang would be relatively lax.

Attacking Luoyang would allow us to avoid both the muddy marshes south of Yan and the key defensive positions of the Wei army.

Fourth, capturing Luoyang would sever the connection between the pseudo-Wei states of Yan and Si, cut off the Wei army's eastward advance from Tongguan to reinforce Yan, and create a pincer movement with the Chu army from Qingzhou to attack Yan from both east and west…

This candidate wrote over a thousand words, elaborating on the advantages of attacking Luoyang first from multiple perspectives, including favorable timing, geographical location, popular support, political and military considerations, and later-stage supplies.

"This Guanqiu... Guanqiu Jian is indeed exceptionally insightful. His strategy of attacking Luoyang first, as proposed by Grand Commandant Xiao, is remarkably similar."

Pang Tong clicked his tongue in approval and casually pointed out the author of this masterpiece.

When Liu Bei and his ministers saw the name Guanqiu Jian, they all looked unfamiliar with it, clearly knowing very little about the name.

Xiao He smiled.

This guy is something else!

In history, this man led the troops of Cao Wei and launched the longest expedition in the history of the Central Plains dynasty against the Northeast region, wiping out Goguryeo, which was entrenched north of Liaodong, and expanding the territory of China by thousands of miles.

The Battle of Hefei was the largest offensive launched by Zhuge Ke against Huainan, which involved 200,000 Wu troops mobilized by the entire nation.

Guanqiu Jian can be considered one of the four great generals of Cao Wei, alongside Deng Ai, Guo Huai, and Chen Tai.

Unlike the other three, Guanqiu Jian was not only exceptional in martial arts, but also erudite and skilled in poetry and prose, with many masterpieces that have been passed down through the ages.

This is a prodigy who excels in both literary and martial arts!

It's no wonder that he was able to write such a treatise on the campaign against Wei, which is both elegant and insightful in its military strategy.

"If I remember correctly, this son should be Guanqiu Xing's son. I remember that Guanqiu Xing was originally a general under Cao Cao. He was captured by our army during the Battle of Shouchun and surrendered to me."

"I never imagined that Guanqiu Xing would have such a remarkable son!"

Liu Bei recalled Guanqiu Jian's family background and couldn't help but sigh.

At this time.

Xiao He pulled himself out of his reverie, immediately cupped his hands in greeting, and said with delight:

"Your Majesty, I believe that based solely on this strategy for attacking Wei, Your Majesty should appoint Guanqiu Jian as the first top scholar of our Great Chu!" (End of Chapter)