Second-hand time travel: Liu Bei, the big-eared bandit

Chapter 225 Inhumanity without Benevolence
When Mi Zhu entered the main tent, Liu Bei was instructing Zhuge Jin to write a letter of recruitment.

That's right, fourteen-year-old Zhuge Jin has already started working.

Chen Feng stayed in Pingyuan to help Zuo Yuan take care of the children and did not come to Xuzhou with him, so Liu Bei found another child laborer, making him a truly wicked capitalist.

Zhuge Jin is now Liu Bei's clerk and receives a salary. The Zhuge family is currently penniless, and Zhuge Xuan is only engaged in low-paying work. Liu Bei is actually using this method to support the Zhuge family.

Zhuge Liang is currently in a corner of the main tent, standing in a horse stance, holding a bamboo slip in his left hand and a carving knife in his right, practicing calligraphy...

Zhao Yun instructed me to practice the horse stance, Zhuge Xuan required me to practice calligraphy, and Zhang Fei said that using a carving knife would make practicing faster...

Zhuge Liang was indeed learning martial arts from Zhao Yun, and it wasn't at Liu Bei's behest; he himself became Zhao Yun's student.

No seven-year-old child doesn't want to learn martial arts, especially since Zhuge Liang has personally witnessed Zhao Yun's heroic exploits and is currently in the stage of admiring heroes.

Zhao Yun would usually stand guard outside Liu Bei's tent, which would give him the opportunity to keep an eye on Zhuge Liang as he practiced his basic skills.

Liu Bei was very pleased. Regardless of whether Zhuge Liang could achieve anything in martial arts, at least it would improve his health. And if he were to encounter Sima Yi again in the future, who knew who would live longer...

The letter of recruitment that Liu Bei had Zhuge Jin write was actually addressed to Zhuge Gui.

Liangfu County in Taishan is not a good place. Liu Bei plans to recruit Zhuge Gui from another province and ask Zhuge Jin to write a letter home.

This feels a bit like kidnapping someone's child and blackmailing them into working for you.

The situation in Taesan County is still very chaotic, with thieves everywhere, so it's definitely not advisable to send the children there.

However, it was quite easy to get Zang Ba and Sun Guan to help send Zhuge Gui out of Taishan County.

Just then, Zang Ba and the others entered the main tent. Liu Bei stepped out from behind the table and greeted them, "Xuan Gao, you've come at the right time... And who is this...?"

"This is Tao Zhugong Mi Zizhong from the East Sea, who has come here on the orders of Magistrate Tao."

Zang Ba still allowed Mi Zhu to stand in the main position.

Mi Zhu clasped his hands and took half a step back to Zang Ba's side before speaking: "Mi Zhu, a fool from the East Sea, greets Governor Liu. I came here to deliver grain, but since Governor Tao is not here, I ask Governor Liu to receive it on my behalf."

Liu Bei's eyes lit up; Mi Zhu's arrival was perfectly timed.

It wasn't because the Mi family was wealthy, but because Mi Zhu could represent the scholars of Xuzhou, the landlords, the artisans, and the merchants—the Mi family could represent all of them.

This is the best signboard.

"Xuzhou is currently short of grain, but Zizhong has grain. Why not sell it at a high price and make a huge profit?"

Liu Bei asked deliberately.

Mi Zhu smiled and said, "Before the Yellow Turban Rebellion, I did sell grain at high prices. But even though I am foolish, I know what is life and death. With hundreds of thousands of Yellow Turbans rising up, if I had sold grain at high prices again, I would have faced certain death and the extermination of my clan. If Xuzhou is not pacified, my Mi family will only decline. My desire to pacify Xuzhou is no different from yours, my lord."

That's true. The Mi family isn't exactly a saint; they've profited from national crises before. But at least they know when to back down and have a bottom line. No wonder the Mi family has been wealthy for generations.

Liu Bei smiled gently: "Zizhong, do you know that I am a spendthrift? Once the grain in your house enters my hands, it will be distributed to the starving people in the blink of an eye, and you won't get a single penny."

"I wonder if Your Excellency needs manpower to squander your wealth? Zhu Yunliang brought two thousand servants with him, which might help Your Excellency squander your wealth faster."

Mi Zhu indeed had the demeanor of a wealthy merchant, and with just a few words, he gifted another two thousand able-bodied men.

"Since that's the case, I'll help Zizhong squander even more of his family fortune..."

Liu Bei turned to Zhuge Jin and instructed him: "Pass on my order to sign the Mi family of Donghai as military supply officers. In order to ensure military supplies, the Mi family is ordered to supply grain and fodder for the suppression of the Yellow Turban Rebellion in this province, and the Mi family is allowed to reclaim wasteland and establish military farms."

Having said that, Liu Bei turned to look at Mi Zhu. Seeing that Mi Zhu's expression was normal, Liu Bei nodded in admiration and then gave his second order:

"The general ordered that all unclaimed farmland in Qing and Xu be taken over as military settlements and assigned to military supply personnel to cultivate the land for famine relief... Mi Zizhong, who was skilled in agriculture in Donghai, was appointed as the Agricultural Commandant, in charge of all matters related to military supply and land reclamation."

Zang Ba and Mi Zhu were greatly surprised, and Sun Guan's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

This isn't just wasteful spending...

This is going to turn Mi Zhu from the richest man in Xuzhou into the richest man in the Han Dynasty!
This order was issued by Liu Bei in his capacity as Left General of the Household, and it was a military order to quell the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

Conscripting the Mi family for military supplies was originally a thankless and arduous task, as they were responsible for providing the army with money and provisions. The so-called permission to cultivate wasteland usually involved offering unwanted barren mountains and wilderness as compensation. However, when combined with the second military order, things changed…

During wartime, using unclaimed farmland as military settlements was an authority held by the general in charge of suppressing rebellions. Appointing a military settlement commander was also a normal practice. At present, the agricultural commander was not a formal military position and was not recognized by the court (the agricultural commander officially became a military position of the court after Cao Cao welcomed Emperor Xian).

But the prefectures and counties had to acknowledge it, because the troops in the prefectures and counties all depended on the Agricultural Commandant for their livelihood.

These military settlements also had land deeds, and they would all be registered under the name of the Agricultural Commandant.

Just like when Liu Bei served as the Chief Administrator of Guangyang and established military farms, the output of military farms had to be prioritized for military needs, but if there was any surplus grain, the person in charge could use it for his own purposes. This was also a way to incentivize military farms.

And what about so-called unclaimed farmland...

Whoever Zang Ba ordered the Taishan bandits to kill, their land would naturally become unclaimed land...

Therefore, these two orders will be issued in front of Zang Ba—Zang Ba's military supplies are handled by Mi Zhu, and whether Mi Zhu can turn a place into a "military settlement" depends on how hard the Taishan bandits work.

How hard the Taishan bandits could work depended, of course, on how timely Mi Zhu's military supplies were...

Mi Zhu was surprised for a moment, then bowed his head in sincere admiration: "I will certainly follow Your Majesty's lead, and Your Majesty's virtue will surely be widely known throughout the world."

"I imagine there are many virtuous and righteous people like Zizhong in Xuzhou. I am not familiar with Xuzhou, so I will ask Zizhong to recommend and regulate the military supplies."

"To give up one's family wealth to pacify the Yellow Turbans and provide the people with a place to live is to be benevolent. As long as the Yellow Turbans are pacified, all the land used to pacify the people will be given to benevolent families."

"Only by rewarding the virtuous can good deeds endure. If the virtuous turn evil, I can also ruin their family fortune in a single day."

Liu Bei nodded and finished speaking, then looked at Zang Ba and Sun Guan: "Mount Tai can also be considered a military settlement, but I don't know where there is any unclaimed land in Mount Tai. I need you to inform Zizhong. By the way, go to Liangfu County and bring a letter of appointment to Zhuge Jungong..."

Zang Ba nodded in agreement, remaining relatively calm.

Sun Guan looked quite excited, but didn't say anything—Zang Ba was an official, but Sun Guan was currently a thief, and he always knew better than to speak in formal situations.

The three men received their orders and left the main tent.

"Congratulations, Brother Mi..."

Zang Ba said in a low voice.

Mi Zhu turned around, and a look of joy indeed appeared on his face: "I originally thought that a righteous person would not know how to cultivate the land, but I didn't expect..."

"Unfortunately, Prefect Liu is neither an official of Xuzhou nor an official of Yanzhou..."

Sun Guan whispered from the side.

Indeed, Liu Bei's military order was only valid for Xuzhou and Taishan County in Yanzhou during the period when Liu Bei was the main general in suppressing the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

“Young man, if you act this way in Xuzhou, why can’t you do the same in Qingzhou?”

Zang Ba shook his head: "Hurry up and do what the magistrate asked you to do. The magistrate is a man of great talent and his future is limitless... Do not speculate any further."

Sun Guan thought to himself that since he had gone to Taishan County on business, he would invite more Taishan bandits and, incidentally, bring Zhuge Gui back.

Mi Zhu invited Zang Ba to ride in the same carriage to discuss how to take Xiapi and Guangling.

In fact, even if Liu Bei hadn't allowed Zang Ba to seize grain from powerful clans and bandits, Mi Zhu would have cooperated with Zang Ba to do the same.

This could quell the Yellow Turban Rebellion, grant one an official position, allow one to seize other businesses, and even facilitate philanthropy... It was a golden opportunity from every angle.

However, Liu Bei's establishment of military settlements not only brought greater benefits to Mi Zhu, but also provided other clever people in Xuzhou with a clear path to wealth.

Mi Zhu had originally intended to emulate Liu Bei, and now he was determined to follow in his footsteps.

This was not originally for the sake of benevolence and righteousness.

But what they actually did was to act with benevolence and righteousness.

Liu Bei has truly improved; he can make even the most unrighteous acts seem incredibly benevolent, and he can even transform some scholars who were not originally benevolent into benevolent families.

(End of this chapter)