The Three Kingdoms: Hindsight is 20/20, and the Three Revivals of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 286 Zhuge Liang has a pageboy named Wang Ji, Liu Bei discusses the situation in Hebei (3rd update)
After Yuan Shao left Lu Nu, Liu Bei also returned to Zhuo County with Xu Shu, Huang Zhong, Tian Feng and others. They arrived in February of the seventh year of Jian'an (202 AD).

Zhuge Liang personally went out of the south gate of Zhuo County to greet Liu Bei, and Liu Bei then recounted in detail the events of the past few months to Zhuge Liang:
From seizing military power in Bingzhou under the guise of Yuan Shao, suppressing Gao Gan and incorporating his troops, to subduing the county magistrate Jia Kui when he showed weakness by garrisoning troops in Jiangyi, Hedong, and devising a plan to release Zhong Yao's nephew Guo Yuan in order to create conflict;
He recruited Sun Zi as his advisor and sent him to persuade Ma Chao to defect, promising to jointly operate the Shu brocade trade, which was delayed until Guan Yu returned to his hometown of Jie County to find his relatives;

After defeating Ma Chao's attack in military battles and ambushing and defeating Xiahou Yuan, when he took over the consolidation of the defense of the three counties, he appointed Zhao Yun as the governor of Shangdang, promoted talents such as Jia Kui and Chang Lin, left Guan Yu, Yan Liang, and Wen Chou in Changshan, left Zhang Fei and Pang Tong in Zhongshan, and reinstated Pang Tong as the military commander of the three counties.

Furthermore, Yuan Shao wrote a letter recommending talent, and he even went into seclusion on the shore of the East China Sea.

Liu Bei told him everything in detail, without missing a single detail.

Zhuge Liang also informed him of the affairs of Youzhou:

He presided over the search for talented people in Zhuo County and recruited Xiahou Lan of Changshan as his subordinate. He implemented the policy of "governing a prefecture and county depends on the superiors setting an example for the subordinates" to strictly examine the talents of officials, so that the virtuous gradually increased and the wicked withdrew.

They intercepted Yuan Shao's plan to bribe officials in Youzhou, and also turned the bribed officials against their own side, distributing the bribes among themselves and simultaneously reforming the government, leaving Yuan Shao with no way to defend himself.
When Sun Qian moved Zheng Xuan's entire family to Zhuo County, Zheng Xuan wrote commentaries on the classics and taught, and witnessed Sun Qian and Lu Qiong's wedding ceremony. Zheng Xuan also took the initiative to write to Yuan Shao.
He also dispatched Zhao Yun to Zhengding to rescue Changshan Chancellor Gao Rou and the trapped Changshan soldiers;

Then, during a meeting with Ju Shou and Tian Feng, they sought to stabilize Hebei. Ju Shou refused to serve as an official and only wanted to teach. Tian Feng offered a plan to "use Zheng Xuan to persuade Yuan Shao to stop the succession struggle." He also reported that there was turmoil in Yuan Shao's inner court and that Liu Shi had been placed under house arrest and stripped of power for stealing military secrets and instigating Yuan Shang.

He also truthfully reported on matters such as land reclamation and famine relief, adjustment of government orders, and recruitment of subordinate officials.

The two chatted all the way from the city gate to the Left General's mansion, and then had a long talk inside for half an hour before finally taking a break.

Zhuge Liang then ordered his page, Wang Ji, to prepare hot soup for Liu Bei to ward off the cold.

Seeing that Wang Ji, though young, had bright and piercing eyes, Liu Bei was surprised: "I don't recall ever seeing this young man when I left Zhuo County?"

Zhuge Liang then brought Wang Ji forward and introduced him, saying, "This is Wang Ji from Qucheng, Donglai. He has just turned twelve this year. He lost his father when he was young due to the turmoil in Qingzhou and was raised by his uncle, Wang Weng. Because he admired the collection of books in Zhuo County, he moved his whole family to Zhuo County. When I was inspecting the school, I happened to see Wang Ji arguing with someone about the pros and cons of ancient emperors undertaking large-scale construction projects."

Wang Ji believed that the ancients used water as a metaphor for the people, saying, "Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it." Therefore, those who are above the people must remain vigilant and cautious. When the people live in comfort, they are prone to complacency; when the people live in hardship, they will think of rebellion and disaster. Therefore, wise rulers of the past governed the country with frugality and simplicity, so that the people would not fall into hardship and cause disaster.

“I wholeheartedly agree, and knowing that Wang Ji is poor, I hired him as a page to earn some money and food to supplement the family income.”

Zhuge Liang's words were simple, but Liu Bei heard them differently: If Wang Ji was to earn some money and grain to supplement the family income, why hire him as a page? Is the page of the military advisor and general something that an ordinary boy can do? This Wang Ji is no ordinary talent.

When Liu Bei looked at Wang Ji again, he was also humble and polite, which made Liu Bei secretly marvel.

Thinking of this, Liu Bei decided to test him, so he asked, "It's not surprising that the ancients used water as a metaphor for the people, but it's truly commendable to be able to see through the ills of reality. Take the current situation as an example, do you have any advice for me?"

Wang Ji remained calm and did not answer immediately. Instead, he turned to look at Zhuge Liang, his eyes seeking instructions. Zhuge Liang gently waved his feather fan and nodded slightly, signaling Wang Ji to answer boldly.

After receiving Zhuge Liang's approval and encouragement, Wang Ji bowed to Liu Bei and said loudly, "There was once a charioteer named Dongyezi who was summoned by Duke Zhuang of Lu because of his superb chariot driving skills. Because his chariot drove in a straight line and turned in a regular manner, Duke Zhuang of Lu ordered him to drive around the road a hundred times to test his ability. However, Yan Yuan said that Dongyezi's chariot driving was such that the horse was already exhausted but he could not stop driving it, and he would definitely fail. Not long after, Dongyezi indeed failed and returned home."

Seeing that Liu Bei was listening attentively, Wang Ji's confidence grew even stronger, and he continued, "Now, wars are frequent, labor is heavy, and families are scattered. It's like Dongyezi driving a cart. If we cannot temporarily suspend the labor before the people's strength is exhausted and stop the war to allow the people to rest, disaster will surely follow."

Liu Bei's eyes showed approval, and he turned to Zhuge Liang: "Strategist, your page is indeed exceptionally insightful!"

Zhuge Liang lightly waved his feather fan, a smile playing on his lips, but he pretended to scold, "These are all old sayings. How could a mere youth like you understand their mysteries? Don't show off! Get out of here immediately. I'll punish you by making you study for ten days."

Wang Ji smiled, clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, and withdrew.

“Is the strategist afraid I’ll snatch him away? What kind of logic is it to punish him for studying?” Liu Bei pointed at Zhuge Liang and laughed. Seeing Zhuge Liang smile without saying a word, Liu Bei sighed and said, “I never thought that in just two years, there would be such talented young people under my jurisdiction who would come here because of my reputation.”

A talented and outstanding young man like Wang Ji, who moved his entire family from Donglai in Qingzhou to Zhuoxian, was someone even Liu Bei, when he was the governor of Xuzhou, had never encountered.

As Liu Bei's reputation grew in the north, and as the more than 10,000 volumes of books in Zhuo County that could be openly copied by scholars gradually became known, more and more scholars came to Zhuo County.

Although most of these scholars were only there for the books and had no intention of taking up an official post, their numbers added up. Even if only one out of a hundred scholars was willing to take up an official post, it would still be a good thing for Liu Bei.

After his initial reflection, Liu Bei composed himself and said solemnly, “Right now, I have ceased hostilities to allow the people to rest and recuperate, and have adopted a defensive posture to hold Shangdang, Changshan, Zhongshan, and Zhuojun. However, Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan may not be willing to cease hostilities. If Cao Cao hears of my strategy, he will certainly take the opportunity to attack the two Yuans. Yuan Shao once told me that the two Yuans have ambitions to contend for supremacy, and each should accept their fate, so I need not worry. However, the two Yuans are no match for Cao Cao. If Cao Cao were to annex the two Yuans, I would also be in danger. Does the strategist have any good advice for me?”

Zhuge Liang also had a clear understanding of the current situation.

Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan stood in the way of Liu Bei's forces, directly facing Cao Cao's military might. If Cao Cao wanted to pacify Hebei, he would inevitably have to eliminate Yuan Shang, Yuan Tan, and Liu Bei all at once.

However, simultaneously being enemies with Yuan Shang, Yuan Tan, and Liu Bei is clearly not a wise move; winning them over and dividing them is the best strategy.

They could either unite with Liu Bei to deal with Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan, or unite with Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan to deal with Liu Bei, or sow discord between Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan, causing them to attack each other, and so on.

Regardless of whether Yuan Shang, Yuan Tan, or Liu Bei were annexed by Cao Cao, it would boost Cao Cao's prestige in Hebei. Moreover, Yuan Shang, Yuan Tan, and Liu Bei were destined to be an unbreakable alliance, and internal conflicts would fill the four forces with intrigue and scheming, making it difficult for any of them to trust the other.

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(End of this chapter)