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

Cao Cao's first failed northern expedition also boosted Liu Bei's prestige in the north.

The powerful families who had initially worried that Liu Bei would not be able to establish himself in the north also sent envoys to express their goodwill towards him.

For powerful and influential families, it doesn't really matter who becomes emperor, whether it's the Han dynasty or another dynasty. What matters is who they can follow to preserve the family fortune accumulated by their ancestors.

Liu Bei appeased the powerful clans that showed goodwill one by one, but he was also well aware of the dangers of these clans annexing land and hiding people, so he did not forget to deter them while appeasing them.

With frequent wars and conflicts, people's livelihoods are already difficult.

If powerful clans are allowed to seize land and hide people, even if Liu Bei eventually eliminates the warlords, he will not be able to truly restore the Han Dynasty. Instead, he may face obstruction or misinterpretation when implementing various policies.

Therefore, Liu Bei adopted Zhuge Liang's suggestion that "in times of chaos, severe measures should be used," and took advantage of the great victory in defeating Cao Cao to continue the land surveying order that had been in place since Emperor Guangwu.

After Emperor Guangwu, the surveying of land became a regular practice, to be carried out every year. Each county and town was required to "collect the surveys in autumn and winter and report them to the relevant prefectures and kingdoms."

The "Autumn and Winter Tax Collection" refers to the process of recording the number of households, cultivated land, income and expenditure of money and grain, and the number of thieves in each county at the end of autumn and winter.

The "Shangji" is also known as "Suanren" or "Anbi". According to Han law, people were usually counted in August. Counting people meant checking the age and physical condition of the household registration to prevent people from being falsely accused of being old or young. At the same time, land was also investigated.

Originally, this was a national policy that could stabilize the situation, but due to the rise of powerful families and the increasing corruption of officials, the land survey order became a mere formality in various counties, which led to the Yellow Turban Rebellion at the end of the dynasty.

Taking advantage of the reshuffling of power among various forces in this chaotic world, it is also the right time to reinstate the land order.

As for the resistance from powerful clans, Zhuge Liang was not worried.

Those who dared to resist either relied on their large clan and strong army, like Shen Pei in the past, or went south to collude with Cao Cao.

Now that Cao Cao's northern expedition has failed, even if some powerful families want to collude with him, Cao Cao may not pay them any attention, not to mention that Cao Cao is not a kind person.

Furthermore, Hebei was in disarray, and most powerful clans and armies like Shen Pei's had perished in the war. Among the remaining aristocratic families and powerful clans in Hebei, none were stronger than Liu Bei.

Moreover, the powerful clans were not monolithic, and not everyone cared about their family fortunes more than their lives. Those who were the first to support the land survey decree could also receive compensation from Liu Bei, such as being given a position in government.

Therefore, in August, Liu Bei mobilized a large number of troops and officials to implement the land survey order in the seven commanderies of Youzhou and the counties within the territories of Bohai, Hejian, Zhongshan, Changshan and Shangdang.

Those soldiers from prominent families who resisted were all punished for "violating the imperial land survey laws and regulations and for colluding with bandits and inciting the people."

Officials who dared to violate the law were also punished with the death penalty in order to rectify officialdom and correct long-standing abuses.

For a time, although the counties were in turmoil and rebellions broke out everywhere, they could not shake Liu Bei's foundation.

On the contrary, during the suppression of the rebellion, Liu Bei also seized a large amount of money, grain and supplies, and re-registered a large number of hidden people.

By the end of Jian'an 9 (204 AD), Liu Bei originally had less than 200,000 registered households, but due to the implementation of the land survey order, the number of registered households increased by 100,000.

Among them were households hidden by powerful families, as well as wandering households that voluntarily returned from the mountains and fields upon hearing the news. Judging from the actual results, it was quite effective.

However, it is not something that can be accomplished in a short period of time to completely register all the hidden households. Moreover, absolute registration is impossible. At present, Liu Bei is only winning over some and suppressing others, rather than completely controlling the hidden lands and populations of the powerful clans in Hebei.

However, with this beginning, the annual land survey system could then be implemented normally.

During this period, a major event also occurred in Liaodong.

Because Gongsun Du died of fright after being shown meat by Cheng Yu, Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang felt that the time was right. So they persuaded Gongsun Du's youngest son, Gongsun Gong, to compete with Gongsun Kang for the position of ruler of Liaodong.

Gongsun Gong was not originally qualified to compete for the position, but Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang were not content after arriving in Liaodong. They deliberately befriended Gongsun Gong and became his honored guests.

Yuan Shang intentionally or unintentionally instilled in Gongsun Gong the idea that even a young son could contend for the throne, and used himself as an example to foster Gongsun Gong's ambition.

Few can resist the temptation of power.

Furthermore, after Gongsun Du's death, Gongsun Kang's attitude towards Gongsun Gong changed from that of brothers to that of ruler and subject, which caused Gongsun Gong a great psychological gap.

When Gongsun Du was alive, he talked about brotherhood and camaraderie every day. After Gongsun Du died, he talked about loyalty between ruler and subject every day. They were both Gongsun Du's sons, so why could Gongsun Kang become the ruler of Liaodong, while Gongsun Gong could only be a subject?

Ever since.

With the support of Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang, Gongsun Gong launched a rebellion, intending to imprison Gongsun Kang.

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Because Xu You resented Yuan Shang for trying to kill him in the past, and also did not want Yuan Shang to actually take control of Liaodong and cause trouble for Liu Bei's rear, after seeing through Gongsun Gong's conspiracy, he decisively informed Gongsun Kang and helped Gongsun Kang devise a plan to capture Gongsun Gong alive.

Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang were also captured alive by Gongsun Kang's troops.

When asked about the fate of Gongsun Gong and the other two, Xu You said, "Gongsun Gong was misled by Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang. If we kill him, people will think that you are narrow-minded and cannot even tolerate your own brother. It would be better to grant the title of Marquis of Yongning Township to Gongsun Gong to show that the brothers are harmonious."

The title of Marquis of Yongning Township was bestowed upon Gongsun Du by the imperial court during his reign. Giving the title of Marquis of Yongning Township to Gongsun Gong was essentially giving Gongsun Gong a nominal title, a way to prevent him from causing further trouble.

This way, Gongsun Gong's life could be saved while Gongsun Kang's reputation could be preserved.

As for the treatment of Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang, Xu You was much more ruthless. He directly advised: "Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang instigated a rebellion and deserve to be executed. They can be beheaded. Then, falsely claim that Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang colluded with Goguryeo to incite Gongsun Gong to rebel. Your Excellency can then take this opportunity to send troops to Goguryeo, destroy its capital, burn its villages, and seize its money, grain, and people to populate Liaodong."

Goguryeo's incursions into Liaodong were not uncommon. Xu You's strategy of using someone else to do the dirty work not only killed Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang, but also made Goguryeo a scapegoat. Gongsun Kang could also take the opportunity to attack Goguryeo and establish his authority.

After weighing the pros and cons, Gongsun Kang adopted Xu You's plan and directly executed Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang. He then publicly claimed that Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang had colluded with Goguryeo to incite Gongsun Gong to rebel, and assembled a large army to attack Goguryeo.

Goguryeo's tenth ruler, Go Yeon-woo, hastily engaged in battle but was captured and killed by Gongsun Kang. Subsequently, Gongsun Kang established Daifang Commandery to govern the counties of Goguryeo.

After defeating Goguryeo, Gongsun Kang adopted Xu You's plan and sent an envoy to Zhuo County to renew the alliance with Liu Bei. He also informed Liu Bei of Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang's collusion with Goguryeo to incite Gongsun Gong to rebel, hoping that Liu Bei would not let the deaths of Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang affect the alliance. (End of Chapter)