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

Chapter 320 Zhuge Liang's Guan Zhong Strategy, Yuan Shang's Rebellious Desire (2nd Update)
Liu Bei was more than happy to have Guo Yuan willingly offer himself to him.

Given that Mi Zhu was far away in Shangdang and the position of Agricultural Commandant had been vacant for a long time, Liu Bei immediately appointed Guo Yuan as Agricultural Commandant to oversee the important task of agricultural settlement.

Guoyuan readily accepted this arrangement, as although land reclamation seemed simple, it was by no means an easy task.

Taking civilian settlements as an example:
It is necessary to not only recruit and pacify displaced people, reclaim wasteland and expand the land to increase the population and store grain for famine relief; it is also necessary to select fertile fields and dredge ditches and water conservancy to ensure that farmers have land and that they have a good harvest in good years; it is also necessary to set up special officials to carefully organize and coordinate, strictly supervise agriculture and sericulture and collect taxes; and it is even more necessary to strictly prevent local powerful families and corrupt officials from seizing farmland and plundering the harvest.

This requires the Agricultural Commandant to possess both exceptional political skills and impartial and selfless virtue.

Especially during times of war, food self-sufficiency was of paramount importance. Liu Bei's entrustment of this important task to Guo Yuan demonstrated his great trust and high regard for Guo Yuan.

Guo Yuan also understood that the reason Liu Bei entrusted him with such an important task was not only because of Xu You's recommendation, but also because he valued Guo Yuan's status as a "disciple of Duke Kang Cheng".

If Guo Yuan does nothing in his post as the Agricultural Commandant, he will not only lose face, but also damage the reputation of his mentor Zheng Xuan.

Then, Guo Yuan inquired about the alliance with Gongsun Du. Before assuming the post of Agricultural Commandant, Guo Yuan also needed to take care of Gongsun Du's affairs first.

Liu Bei did not answer immediately, but instead summoned Zhuge Liang and Xu Shu.

When the two arrived, Liu Bei slowly revealed his thoughts: "Gongsun Du took advantage of the chaos to seize control of eastern Youzhou, establishing a separatist regime that disrespects the court. He even dared to call himself the Governor of Pingzhou, intending to carve out his own territory and establish himself as emperor! I sent envoys to establish friendly relations before, but he ignored me; now that he has been defeated by Cao Cao, he is finally willing to form an alliance. His previous arrogance followed by his obsequiousness is chilling. Now that the treasury is full, I intend to send troops to punish him and eliminate future troubles."

Liu Bei had this idea, and Zhuge Liang and Xu Shu could understand it.

Xu You had been on a mission to Liaodong for nearly a year, and Gongsun Du had completely ignored Liu Bei's goodwill.

Now that Cao Cao has wiped out Gongsun Du's forces in Donglai, Gongsun Du is both furious and afraid of Cao Cao, which is why he has turned to an alliance, but his sincerity is clearly lacking.

In addition, Liu Bei's power was no longer what it used to be, and he was increasingly dissatisfied with Gongsun Du, who occupied Youdong. He could not tolerate a wolf sleeping soundly next to his bed, so naturally he began to have the desire to punish him.

Upon hearing that Liu Bei intended to attack Liaodong, Xu Shu pondered for a moment and advised, "My lord, please calm your anger. Although Gongsun Du has seized Liaodong, he commands tens of thousands of troops and controls the Liaoxi Corridor, with Goguryeo and others as his vassals. If we antagonize him, our army will have to undertake a long march of thousands of miles, which will not only make the transport of supplies difficult but also easily exhaust our soldiers. If we can achieve a swift victory, there is still hope, but if we prolong the campaign, Cao Cao will reap the benefits! I urge my lord to reconsider!"

Although Xu Shu's words made sense, Liu Bei's anger did not diminish; on the contrary, it seemed to be getting angrier. In Liu Bei's mind, he was thinking: Who is Gongsun Du? How dare he stop me?

Seeing this, Zhuge Liang also advised, "I know that you are worried, but now is not the right time to send troops to Liaodong."

Then, Zhuge Liang changed the subject: "My lord, there is no need to rush your plans for Liaodong. Since ancient times, only with a just cause can one be victorious in every battle. Gongsun Du has already shown goodwill, and using force now would be dishonorable. Now that the trade routes for Shu brocade are open and the circulation of new currency is gradually stabilizing, we might as well open up trade with Gongsun Du and exchange goods. Allow him to exchange Liaodong ginseng, sable fur, warhorses, and other rare items for Shu brocade; if the transaction is in currency, it must be settled in new currency. In this way, Liaodong's wealth and warhorses will eventually be ours. This will strengthen our position and weaken their army and people."

Liu Bei's anger subsided slightly, and he asked thoughtfully, "Does the strategist intend to follow the ancient method of using trade routes to counterbalance Liaodong?"

Zhuge Liang smiled and said, "Gongsun Du has ruled Liaodong for a long time, and his heart must be filled with arrogance. Moreover, he has overstepped the emperor's regalia when traveling and is already old, so he must crave extravagance. We can use Shu brocade to seduce his ambition and tempt his mind. The more Shu brocade Gongsun Du demands, the wider the circulation of new currency will be. Once Liaodong's finances are all under our control, even if Gongsun Du harbors rebellious thoughts, he will be like a fish out of water, unable to survive. Even if Gongsun Du refuses our new currency, the powerful families living in the harsh lands of Liaodong, as well as the scholars from the Central Plains who have taken refuge in Liaodong, will secretly purchase it. When there is trouble in Liaodong, we can launch a distant expedition with inside help, making our efforts twice as effective." Luxury goods like Shu brocade were extremely attractive to powerful families.

Once people have enough to eat and wear, it is human nature to pursue more elegant and luxurious enjoyment.

First, use economic means to infiltrate and win over the enemy, and then supplement with military strikes. This was also a strategy that Zhuge Liang was good at.

Zhuge Liang's comparison of himself to Guan Zhong was by no means an exaggeration. Guan Zhong was also a strategist who combined political, economic, diplomatic, and military talents. His "strategy of lightness and heaviness" and the strategies of Hengshan, Yinli, and Jingmao can be regarded as a model of ancient currency warfare.

Before the first Northern Expedition, Zhuge Liang opened up trade routes in Longyou with Shu brocade, and took the opportunity to win over many local powerful families who were dissatisfied with Cao Cao.

It was precisely because of this that the first Northern Expedition was able to advance so swiftly: the prefects of Tianshui and Nan'an fled at the mere sight of the enemy, and even though the prefect of Longxi, You Chu, was determined to resist, he could only plead with his subordinates to wait until the city fell before binding him and surrendering.

If it weren't for the early efforts to infiltrate and win over the Shu army, which was regarded as a "small country" by the Cao Wei rulers and ministers, it would have been difficult for them to have such power. It seems unreasonable that a governor of a large country would be so frightened by the military action of a small country that he would abandon his prefecture and flee.

Zhuge Liang sent Ma Su to guard Jieting, intending to buy time rather than order him to hold the position to the death, because he was confident that he could quickly pacify the counties of Longyou.

Unfortunately, Ma Su was too eager to make a name for himself and insisted on showing off his "martial prowess" by being on high ground and sweeping all before him, which led to the failure of Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition.

The subsequent Northern Expeditions suffered repeated failures, which became extremely difficult because of the loss of internal support.

Guoyuan, standing to the side, listened with trepidation.

This young man, barely twenty years old, devised a brilliant plan to destroy Gongsun Du in just a few words.
Guo Yuan was puzzled by Zhuge Liang's mention of Shu brocade and new currency, and couldn't help but ask him about it.

Xu Shu then succinctly recounted the recent events concerning Shu brocade and new currency. Upon hearing this, Guo Yuan was even more shocked: neither opening up trade routes for Shu brocade nor minting new currency were things that ordinary people could accomplish, yet Zhuge Liang had managed to do them all.

At this moment, Guo Yuan couldn't help but have the same question as Cao Xuan: Shouldn't a strategist be good at military strategy? How come he is also so proficient in political affairs?
For a moment, Guo Yuan couldn't help but show even more humility and respect. In front of someone as brilliant as Zhuge Liang, even Guo Yuan, a disciple of Zheng Xuan, had to be humble and gentle.

After understanding Zhuge Liang's strategy, Liu Bei's anger subsided, and he temporarily abandoned the idea of ​​sending troops to Liaodong.

Seeing this, Zhuge Liang took out another document from his bosom and handed it to Liu Bei, his tone becoming extremely solemn: "Yuan Shang is secretly colluding with Yuan Xi and Gao Gan, and is secretly stockpiling grain and fodder in Zhongshan, Changshan, and Shangdang, recruiting soldiers, and secretly training assassins, perhaps intending to do something treacherous. This is a document sent by Zhen Yao, and it lists all the people who are conspiring with Yuan Shang and others."

　Update 2 is here!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)