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

Chapter 349 The Xun Family Twins

Cai Yong was probably the most skilled writer of this kind of eulogy in the entire Han Dynasty, praising Liu Bei to the level of Hou Ji (a legendary Chinese sage-king)...

Although Cai Yong did not mention Liu Bei's name at all, Liu Bei's name appeared more than a hundred times in the more than two hundred pages of agricultural strategies, and he was also listed first in the list of compilers at the end of the book.

He did not hoard the good techniques, but spread the ways of farming to the world, making sure that even the old folks and silkworm farmers in the countryside could understand them.

Farmers may not understand poetry, but they can easily understand that this matter is indeed the same as Houji's transmission of farming techniques.

In particular, Cai Yong mentioned the merit of preaching.

Combining the best remedies of heaven and earth, we use simple diagrams to communicate with all the people.

The last sentence is about seeing an old farmer in the countryside reading a book while holding a hoe, and a young woman reading a book while leaning against a wall. Only then can one understand that a true gentleman is one who selflessly passes on knowledge to all people, and this is a great merit that will last forever with the mountains and rivers.

The key point is to "use the best methods of heaven and earth to benefit all people".

The righteous path of China has always been to govern the world with human beings. The gods of China are all ancestors and sages. Even the ancient legends are about mending the sky, shooting down the sun, moving mountains and filling the sea, not about seeking divine protection.

The sacrifices in the Han Dynasty were not for seeking gods, but for worshipping ancestors, communicating with heaven and earth, and paying homage to ancestors such as Houji, Yu the Great, and the Yellow Emperor.

The word "仙人" originally referred to "ancestors" or "immortals". In ancient times, "僊人" meant ancestors.

The best way to govern the world is to use simple pictures to reach the people directly, so that they can become self-reliant, so that every commoner has a skill to pass on, and so that culture and technology can be passed down for generations.

This is the same merit of preaching and educating as Hou Ji, which is enough to earn him a place among the immortals.

Cai Yong was extremely satisfied that he could gain some credit for this matter, because his poem would be used as a preface when the "Agricultural Policy" was printed later.

This agricultural strategy will surely be praised by people for thousands of years, and Cai Yong can indeed be said to have benefited from Liu Bei's influence.

This happened to be the off-season for farmers after the autumn harvest, and the whole of Qingzhou was talking about it. Before long, other prefectures also heard about it—Cai Yong's agricultural policy essay spread even faster than the agricultural policy itself.

This is also the function of written words and prose. Pictures can make more people understand, but some phrases in written works can be passed down orally without a physical medium.

Cai Yong's poems and prose had a great influence on scholars and powerful families.

With Cai Yong's poems serving as an advertisement, the agricultural policy began to spread rapidly, and both rural farmers and wealthy gentry flocked to read it.

Meanwhile, officials from various regions were also heading to Qingzhou, having been summoned to participate in the emperor's ancestral worship ceremony at Mount Tai, as the winter solstice was fast approaching.

Whenever they saw an elderly farmer woman reading a paper book by the wall on the edge of the field, they would take a look or borrow it.

Out of respect for the books, and also out of a fear of causing trouble in Qingzhou, few people would forcibly seize them, since in the past only scholars had access to books.

This led to a situation in Qingzhou where scholars in official robes and ordinary farmers would squat together on the ridges of fields, crowding together to read the same book.

This may be the first time such a scene has ever occurred in the world.

The seemingly insurmountable distance between the gentry and the common people was bridged by a single book, bringing them all to the same place.

……

The guesthouse in Linzi.

"Does Gongda truly wish to take the policy examination? Why?"

A handsome young nobleman was asking Xun You a question.

"When my paternal uncle came to Linzi, did he see the agricultural policies issued by the Right General?"

Xun You took out a cloth bag from his bosom, carefully took out a copy of "Agricultural Strategies" from the bag, and placed it on the table, seemingly taking great care of the book.

The noble young man standing before Xun You looked much younger than Xun You himself, yet he was addressed as his clan father.

This noble young man was Xun Yu, Xun You's cousin, but he was six years younger than Xun You.

Xun Yu had just arrived in Linzi when he came specifically to see Xun You.

"On my way here, I encountered some villagers reading this book. I quickly glanced at some of it, and it is indeed a good book... but..."

Xun Yu nodded, casually flipping through the agricultural treatise. Looking at a picture of a curved plow, he pointed to the words "First Maker - Hei Tu" on the picture: "I wonder who this Hei Gong is? Why have I never heard of the people listed in this book?"

"Heitu is a tenant farmer in the official settlement established by the Right General; he was born a slave..."

Xun You sighed: "This book lists more than three hundred people, most of whom are tenant farmers and commoners. Apart from Cai Gong's preface, none of them are famous scholars or have prominent family backgrounds."

“Even Lord Cai was born a criminal, and his family has declined… General Right, you are quite cunning. You intend to use the masses to sever the family’s social standing…” Xun Yu understood. He looked down at the book on the table, turned a few more pages, and sighed, “Does Gongda want to be ranked alongside Heitu?”

"Although Hei Tu is humble, he has made great contributions to the world. I feel ashamed to be ranked alongside him... My paternal uncle may not know that the curved plow has been tested in Qingzhou Agricultural School. It can save one ox, but can double the yield of a ox and cultivate four times more crops than before. It is a great tool of the country and can benefit the world for a thousand years."

Xun You looked at Xun Yu and said softly, "The illustrations in this book are all good methods for the world. I believe that the one who will gain the world will be General You. Rather than confronting him head-on, we should go with the flow. Besides, General You needs our help right now."

"...I understand Gongda's intentions, and I can also see the good methods in this book. However, Gongda, the Right General may have the intention to destroy social order and disrupt moral principles... to force officials to serve the people, to use bandits to drive out nobles, to use commoners to learn from books, and to elevate slaves to high positions... Now that the Confucian school has been destroyed, what will become of the Xun family?"

Xun Yu nodded, then shook his head: "There are also disagreements within the clan after they learned of this matter. Lord Ciming intends to help Cao Mengde, while Brother Xiuruo intends to help Yuan Gonglu..."

Ciming was Xun Shuang's courtesy name. Xun Shuang had eight brothers, who were known as the "Eight Dragons of the Xun Clan." Xun Shuang himself was not the eldest brother, but he was hailed as the head of the eight dragons and was Xun Yu's paternal uncle.

Xiu Ruo is Xun Yan, Xun Yu's third brother, a blood brother.

"What does the clan father himself think?"

Xun You asked Xun Yu for his opinion.

"...Yuan Gonglu lacks governing talent and will not last long."

Xun Yu was silent for a while: "...I have been cultivated and promoted by Lord Ciming, and I am responsible for the continuation of the sect. I cannot let the sect fall into the dust. I can only rely on Cao Mengde."

"Cao Mengde... my paternal uncle, now Chen Gongtai and others are plotting for their own selfish interests, luring Cao Mengde to raise a band of bandits to enhance his own power..."

Xun You understood the meaning of investing separately within the clan, and smiled at Xun Yu: "But how could someone like Cao Mengde be willing to be a thief himself while watching others profit? Right now, the various families in Yanzhou are getting along with Cao Mengde like honey, but who knows if they will look at each other like poison in the future?"

The shareholding structure on Cao Cao's side is indeed very unhealthy now.

The investors' shares have far exceeded the founders' shares, and in the entire Yanzhou, there is no county that Cao Cao actually controls.

The logic of the various aristocratic families in the Han Dynasty was not to "join" them, but to invest. The people of the Yanzhou aristocratic families nominally served as officials under Cao Cao, but in reality they were shareholders, and were representatives of the capital side sent to supervise the capital operation.

Cao Cao's true assets were actually the army of his general's mansion, his hometown of Pei State in Yu Province, the land around Xiao County where he had previously settled refugees, and several newly established military settlements... all located in northern Yu Province.

Bao Xin and Zhang Miao were merely partners, and the partners were controlled by the investors.

In other words, Cao Cao's strength lay in his military power.

Talent, funds, county administration, logistics, civil affairs... apart from the resources of the Cao, Ding, and Xiahou families, all other foundations and channels rely on the support of the Yanzhou aristocratic families.

If Cao Cao is unable to protect the interests of investors, the powerful families will withdraw their investment at any time and find a new investment target.

But now, Chen Gong is telling Cao Cao to keep Liu Chong, the Prince of Chen, around to support his own power and force Cao Cao to confront Liu Bei, while the various powerful families will take the opportunity to profit.

Investors only care about returns. They will force companies to go public in order to quickly profit from the secondary market. Investors do not care about the long-term actual benefits of the founding team and the product.

After all, there are plenty of startup teams; if one fails, there's always another.

Cao Cao is enjoying short-term benefits and is getting a little carried away; he's not willing to give up these advantages for the time being.

But was he really willing to be cannon fodder? If Cao Cao was regarded as a traitor by the court and had to fight against Liu Bei, while various investors were seeking their own interests, could Cao Cao tolerate this situation?

Liu Bei did not take action against Cao Cao for the time being because he understood the logic behind it: opposing Cao Cao now would only result in mutual destruction.

Xun You could certainly understand these things as well.

“I have no intention of serving Chen Gongtai and others... I am supporting Cao Mengde for long-term stability.”

Xun Yu said in a low voice, "The Right General desires to recruit talented individuals through examinations, but has long neglected to appoint those of high rank and prestige. He intends to have all officials leave his office, which will inevitably lead to a struggle between the powerful and the commoners. Since you, Gongda, wish to become a retainer of the Right General, that is a good thing. Regardless of who wins or loses, the Xun family can survive. If the Right General were to gain control of the empire in the future, I beg you, Gongda, to rescue our clan..."

"...Won't my paternal uncle go and see the Right General?"

Xun You nodded slightly, then asked Xun Yu, "In fact, General Right did not intend to completely sever the Han Chinese; he simply regarded the prominent and the common people the same."

“I will not go… If we are treated the same as the common people, how can we preserve our clan? If my Xun clan cannot be distinguished in the world, what will become of our clan? How will the merits of our ancestors be recognized? Our ancestors have worked hard for generations to achieve our current status. If we are suddenly placed on par with the common people, who in the clan will be happy? From ancient times to the present, when has the common people ever been able to protect our family’s legacy?”

Xun Yu shook his head and sighed, "General Right is indeed an outstanding figure of our time, but what about the future? We scholars wish to share the world with the king, but General Right clearly does not want to govern with us scholars. What should we do?"

"Boom boom boom!"

At that moment, there was a knock on the door, and Liu Bei's voice came from outside: "Xun Wenruo, when did I ever say I was unwilling to govern with scholars? You've never even met me and you're slandering me... I'm not convinced!"

(End of this chapter)